Some Days Are Harder Than Others...

Today I question our monumental decision! Have I done the right thing by moving my family? Can I uproot my children with out ruining their little lives? Will they suffer emotionally? These are the questions I ask myself today, as I am facing my sad little boy! Taylor has been having an extremely tough time going back to school. He has been in tears every morning since school began. To give you some background, Taylor has always been my child who has had several friends, and fits in easily in most situations. He was the one that we could never keep home on the weekends, he was always being invited somewhere with someone. He had a couple of real close friends, but could name a ton if you asked him who his buddies were! Taylor was involved with every sport, and had friends in everyone!
Taylor has yet to find any connections here, he has become extremely attached to me(God love him), and does not want to leave me. How do I make this easier for him? I do not know, the hardest part of all of this, is that I know EXACTLY how he feels! My family moved when I was entering seventh grade and then when I was entering eleventh grade! I remember how extremely tough it was, and how much I hated it! It took me awhile to find friends, but I always felt like the outsider!
I watch him at school, and it breaks my heart, I want so bad to make these kids welcome him with open arms! These kids do not seem very willing to want to know him, they have their friends in place, and he is an outsider!
Have you met my baby? He is an extremely kind and respectful kid! He is also pretty cool, and can play almost any sport, and I think he is pretty damn handsome to boot.
So today, I find myself in tears trying to figure out a way to make this better. As moms, we want to fix any problem our babies have! I would give my life to make him happy.
While we were preparing for our move, a cultural trainer came to our house to help us with "culture shock', and one of the things she said was that everyone would have hard moments, and they may come at different times. Well, this is Taylor's turn! Please say a prayer for my baby, a prayer that he will have a good day and want to go back on Monday!

These are the days I want to go home! I also miss my friends and the connections I had, but at the end of the day all I need is my family! I will be OK, will he?

This is a common sight at our house, Taylor is always so sweet to Claire. Taylor is my pride and joy!

A Week in the Life of A South African....

A temporary South African that is! Well, I thought to get geared up for the beginning of school I would take the boys for an adventure! Little did I know that it was going to be a TRUE adventure, an African adventure. I decided to take Claire to school, and the boys and I would have a "date" day, a day all to ourselves! We went to Kragga Kamma Game Park www.kraggakamma.com , this is a local game park here in Port Elizabeth, 15 minutes from our house(yes, there are some really cool things about being here!) We opted for the self drive, I will forever wonder why I was so brave on this day, you can drive your own vehicle through the park. We enter, pay and start our adventure and immediately see Rhinos! There was one large and one baby off to the side of the road, and one male closer to the side of the road. We drove close to the large Rhino, and stopped so the boys could get pictures with their new cameras (maybe I should blame Mimi and Poppa:))After the Rhino started heading away from the road, we began to drive! He stopped and turned around, and came back to our car! OK, scary, but we are in a game park, so we waited. He again turned away from us and started leaving, I started driving-this time he turned and made his way back much faster! At this point, Taylor is almost on the floor board and Hunter has a very large smile, I am a little worried and pull out the info given at the front gate! Paper states "Keep a good distance from Rhinos and Buffalo, they can be aggressive and dangerous", OK I am more than nervous! We wait longer, and the Rhino again makes his exit, his backside is completely to us, and we are sure he is leaving! We again start driving, WRONG, The Rhino now turns, runs and is right next to our car! Now Taylor is on the floor board, Hunter is now nervous, and I am calling the emergency number on form! Game ranger answers and says she thinks he is playing with us, but she is on her way! By the time she gets there the Rhino has left, and now is pretty far from us, she tells us to go, we sit. We do finally leave, a little shaky but alive! On a side note, there was a red car behind us when we started, it reversed when the Rhino charged and we never saw it again-Wimps! We finished up our game drive-nothing else compared-we saw a family of giraffe, a family of warthogs(babies look like monkeys)! When we got out of the car later, Taylor found the scratch, that's right the Rhino actually scratched our car-After that I realized how shady our experience was!


The scratch....

Family of Warthogs...

Family of Giraffe...

Now for a little less action, but none the less memorable..The first day of school. Everyone is now in school, the boys started a private school,St. Dominic's. We are so happy they got in, we did not find out until the day before school started that they would be placed. So needless to say, the last few days have been crazy-trying to get school supplies, uniforms and everything else that goes along with the beginning of a new year! St. Dominic's is a catholic school with a beautiful campus, and a wonderful sporting facility. The school is very strict in a lot of ways, one of which is the children's dress code. The boys wear white shirts, grey shorts, grey knee socks, black shoes and a blazer. Oddly enough, my little goofballs love it! In fact, Taylor said on the first day, "Mom, I am surprised that we do not have to bring a brief case to school", the things children say! They also have specific sports uniforms, one of them is a speedo suit! All I have to say is Thank God they love all of the uniforms, because I do not know if I could have argued that one! My sweet, tall, skinny kids may hate me for these pictures later in life!



Of course, Claire had her first day...

The main school building....

What a week... of course as I am finishing writing, I start looking for kids, and find two of them hiding in my bed! How sweet is that!

I Am Proud to be an American!

It is not July fourth or even President's day, but USA has been on my mind today. Regardless of the way that we or you voted this year, I can honestly say that I am proud to be an American! I have always had a since of what it means to be an American, but now it is even more important in my life. Living in a different country, you are able to truly have an appreciation for the Red, White and Blue! I was driving to take Claire to school today and the local news was on the radio; they were discussing the new USA president, and of course he is seen as a hero here, but I was taken back by the rush of feelings that flooded me! They were talking about my country, and how proud I felt to be apart of it. People put Americans on a pedestal here, and have such a longing to see our country. I have been doing a lot of thinking today about the good old USA, and I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, WERE AT LEAST I KNOW I'M FREE!

What it means to be an American to me:
* A free world were equality is important, there is a separation here, and people are very unaware of it!
* A place that we can feel safe in and know that there is police system-here you rely on your security company for your line of defense. They come in armored gear to protect, they also can assess physical emergencies. You hardly ever see the police.
*Being a part of a company that my husband works for, my dad worked for and my husband's grandfather worked for. Please pray for the GM family!
* A place were children have a safe haven in their schools, and are forced to attend. Our children attend a private school here, but know that there are children that are unable to make it to school daily.
* A minimum wage for workers that is better than it is here-labor force is so cheap! We have a maid from 7:30-4, three days a week-$30 for the week.
* A place that dreams can come true, we are living proof that with a lot of hard work, you have the ability to build a happy home and to chase your dreams!
* A place were my children have all kinds of opportunity awaiting them!
* There are so many others, but I have a true since of pride for where I come from, and I hope that as Americans we can all take care of what we have!

Do not get me wrong, I am not living in filth or in complete fear-quite the opposite-South Africa is a great and beautiful land; but it is not the United States of America!

I leave you with some pictures that are in our house here in South Africa, as we were hanging pictures we said that it was weird how things change and now some pictures took precedent over others. You do not know what you have until it is gone, these are now some of my most valuable images....


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Oh, How I Will Miss Them!

I can not believe that it has been two months since the boys have been out of school, how time flys! Here in South Africa, the schools run from the end of January until the end of November. I have always been in the minority when it comes to my feelings about the end of school breaks-I dread them! I never want them to end, I love when my kids are home! Some days are tough, but most are awesome-to have the sound of little feet around me is so uplifting(OK-sometimes loud!) This time will be among the hardest, I think it will really take its toll on me. These kiddos are my life and it will be a very lonely and silent house without them-how will I ever deal with college! Not only is Claire now in school five days, but I think being in a foreign country has brought us all very close. Taylor, I am afraid, may have a hard time this go round-he is typically my very social one, but being away from his friends has made him become very attached to me! Hunter is Hunter, and would stay at home with me year round- he always says he is never going to leave me.
I think another reason that the end of school breaks are so hard for me is because it is a confirmation of them growing up! If I could only bottle this time with them, and have it forever. I think my happiest moments are when everyone is at home, and they are playing in the backyard, and life could not be any more simple!
Well, I will send them on their way this coming Wednesday, I will do my best not to cry, at least not in front of them, and I will attempt to have a personal life-Please help me, What is that?
Call me crazy, but this is the job that I dreamed of-being a Mom! I will have to start thinking of ways to keep myself preoccupied for the hours that they are away-I want to do some volunteering, I want to take up tennis, scrapbook, sew and of course I could always help at school!
Oh, how I will miss my babies!

Our Dad, Our Hero...Our Son, Our Pride!

Pat-third from right!

Pat laughed when I told him what my title would be for this entry, we all have to kiss a little ass at times! The fitness bug has hit our family (most of the family, that is) Pat, I am proud to say, completed a bike race that was 85 km-straight up hill! He went with a group from work, I am sure he would have loved to have Doc with him, they have been biking together for the last few months! Way to go Daddy-40 and going strong! And my sweet son, Taylor, completed his race in 24.2o minutes while running on the beach! That child amazes me with his ability to pace himself, and do so well in these adult beach races. He beat a fellow American Gm guy, sorry Troy, had to boast! Let's hope the bug sweeps the family up! It's hard not to want to get involved with the local sports, the running and riding is very popular here. There are local races almost every weekend, and then once a year there is the Iron Man!

Who would have thought there could be so many similarities! Looking back, while still in the states, my vision for this new world was so very different than what I have come to find! Port Elizabeth reminds me very much of Shreveport/Bossier, it is a small town and everyone knows most everyone! It has a very beachy feel to it, and much like the south, the people here are extremely friendly and very helpful! There are times when I almost forget that I am in South Africa. Sometimes the reality of this whole journey is so hard to grasp, who would have thought that I would be living here, and maybe/kind of/sort of "liking"it! There is a whole world here for us to discover and explore,, what a gift we have been given!

By the way, the camera has been found! Thank goodness, I have gotten a little obsessed with this blog thing. I know it bores most, but this is my way of preserving my memories!

All in a Days Work....

Sometimes days(months/years) are so crazy for us! We have had some crazy ones lately...It started off with Claire loosing our nice digital camera, that's right Gone! Our luck she has thrown it away, and god knows you can't ask her were it is, because she sure could not answer you! Side note-Thanks Mimi and Poppa for the boys digital cameras from Christmas, we are borrowing for awhile! She also proceeded to spill an entire cup of hot coffee into the unopened printer box-new printer still inside! Luckily, the printer does work....Life with a three year old!
We have been on little to no sleep the last day due to a Florida Gator Fan and his brother determined to wake in the middle of the night to catch the game! Unfortunately and very sadly, we did not get the game on TV here! We (Taylor and Hunter, mom slept) checked the computer for scores every so often-between the hours of 3am and 7am! To have a house full of sports fans, can it get any better?
We have also made a family decision, initiated by Taylor, that our new puppy,Tebow, needed to be returned to the pet store! What a disaster two puppies are, I think Lilly is back in heaven now that the dog is gone! At least there was not very much love lost, the puppy was a handful!
To top off our days... we always have diapers to be changed, fights to be broken up, smiles to be seen, laughs to be heard, meals to be made, tears to be wiped, boo boos to be cleaned, reading to be enforced, and love to be shared....all in a days work!
These are days we will remember with smiles!



Going to bed after setting alarm for 3am!

True fan, for the love of the game!

Gator fever is contagious!

Yes, I am the mean mom that makes them read 1 hour a day!

Finally, a little piece and quiet-well sort of-"Where's Claire?"

Claire Bear, the one that is always making life

more intersting!!!!

Call Us Crazy!!!!!

Well, what is most needed in your life when you have three kids, one 4 month old puppy and live in a foreign country..... another puppy! That's right the boys went to get their haircut, and came home looking good, but with a new puppy! They obviously did not go to Bliss- they are not in the market of beauty and selling dogs! The dog is an 8 week old Staffi(Stafford Terrier), it kind of looks like a staff infection(not the cutest)! Taylor has affectionately named him Tebow after our all time favorite football player, Tim Tebow! By the way, we will be up at 2am to watch the Gators kick butt! All games on ESPN play live and we are 8 hours ahead, so our football is on during the middle of the night.
Say a prayer, we will be lucky to survive the chaos that surrounds us!
Thank goodness for my 10 year old, without him the puppy would soon disappear! He feeds and does everything for the dogs, especially loves them. He said to me the other night, while holding the puppy, "Mom,I do not ever need medicine, just our dogs!" **There is nothing better than seeing a boy with his dog, and what a way to teach responsibility!
This last week has been a lazy one, not much going on and the weather has been dreary! News Years Eve was fun, we went out to dinner with friends, and then to an American family's to ring in the new year! We also did some sight seeing- Pat and I, along with the kids, went to Utienhege for the day. We heard there were alot of antique stores; we only found one, and what a find! The furniture is amazingly cheap, OMG-Caboose(fav in Shreveport) could not hold a candle to this place! They had everything from tables, desks, chairs, dining room pieces and everything in between. We left without anything,except some very bored kids! After our trip to Utienhege we headed back home and met some friends at a restaurant, Sacramento, overlooking the ocean!
I am so glad it is a new year, and time to start a new! My upcoming plans are to get organized-finish getting this place feeling like home! Work on my bedroom, add some pizazz, it is always the last to get spiffed up! I also have been reading some books, all by local authors! I am looking forward to what this new year brings us, so far the highlight has been a new puppy!(Help)
By the way, being in South Africa is a little easier due to technology! We have had Skype, you can talk to anyone in the the world face to face via the Internet, and now we have Vonage. Our Vonage phone has a LA number, but works off of our computer. So people can call us, and not have to worry about international rates, plus if you are in LA the calls are free! It's the little things(OK, big)in life!

Farewell to 2008!

New Years………
What does New Years mean to me, for the first time in my life maybe something. When you get older, our years seem so much more detailed, hectic and lived. 2008 has been a year for me-a year to forget and a year to remember! Do you know the wonderful poem “Footprints in The Sand”, this will be a year that I will look back and at times there will only be one set of footprints……
Our year started out on a bad note, my fears for Claire were confirmed. After searching for answers from Claire’s previous doctors, I finally decided to change doctors! In January of 2008 I met with Alita, a nurse practitioner, and she instantly confirmed all of my worst fears! She thought maybe she may have CP, and suggested getting an MRI and to see a neurologist. As a side note, Claire was always behind in her developmental milestones, and did not walk until 18 mo. January and February were very hard and sad for us, after getting the MRI done and seeing the neurologist, we were given some bleak news that Claire may never get better, or talk. I left the neurologist office with a pit in my stomach, but I also left with a goal-to prove them wrong! Claire was instantly put into physical, occupational and speech therapy! In my heart of hearts I can look at Claire and see a typical little toddler who does typical little toddler things with limitations. We instantly saw progress physically, although speech is very slow! We went back to the neurologist three months later, and he could do nothing but smile! He said that she looked like a different child, but that we were not out of the woods yet-her speech had to improve. All along we were never given a diagnosis, so we also went to see a geneticist, who said that Claire was” developmentally delayed” and may catch up! So we are still on our journey with her, she has come a long way-she can keep up with the best of them-we still have a ways to go, but I think with prayers and lots of work we may get there one day! Her biggest hurtle is her speech, she is severely delayed, but makes improvements daily! She is still our princess, and runs us ragged on most good days! By the way, Alita passed away two weeks after we met with her, I believe she was Claire’s angel, who was sent to put us on our right path!

This year has also seen some wonderful things…. My boys. Some of my favorite moments are sitting and watching them play sports, the things they love best! Taylor finished an awesome basketball season, relished in playing golf this summer, and played a full football season, his absolute favorite. Hunter also played basketball and wowed us in baseball, and also finished with a great football season. Taylor has grown up to be a good brother and a good friend, I could not be prouder! Hunter is an extreme perfectionist who loves school and sports, but has a wonderful loving and sensitive side! I have been extremely blessed with the children that God has given me!
This year I have relished in the fact that I have some wonderful girl friends. There have been times that I could not have made it, had it not been for them,- the casual conversations, the bonding on the sidelines and the medical advice that has been extremely needed this year! One time that sticks out most is our trip to New Orleans! My buddy, Candy’s daughter got married and we all went to the wedding and stayed in NO for the weekend! We drank too much , danced more and laughed with the best of friends. My fondest memories of my friends, is eating at Nicky’s and spending some of the best times just hanging out with our McKain buddies!
We had some wonderful family moments as well, we enjoyed beach trips with both families and lots of fun with cousins! Nothing reminds you more of home than a home cooked meal-Thanks Mom!
And then the news…… We were transferring to South Africa! What a blow, how could my wonderful little world be turned upside down? Pat was offered a chance of a lifetime to work overseas, although it killed me, I new that this was a wonderful opportunity for my family! While preparing for the move, there were many tears of sadness from everyone! Hunter and I were hit hardest! You never know what you have until it is about to be taken away. We had built an incredible life in Bossier! We were in a great school, we had met some great families, my kids friends were awesome, and I had some of the best girlfriends!!! Not to mention, all of my family lived here!
As football season was wrapping up, the days were feeling a little bit cooler, our furniture had been sent….the inevitable was happening…our move was approaching. We had some wonderful parties, given by wonderful friends! Even the kids coaches did goodbyes, Taylor’s was the hardest. He has been with the same group of kids for almost six years! Coach Kevin gave a wonderful speech that left us all in tears, I even think he almost lost it! We lived with my parents for the last few weeks, and I am so thankful I had that time with them. Thanks dad for the coffee in the morning I will never forget it!
The last week I spent in a fog of tears, but we finally made it to our flight, thirteen suitcases later and all of 28 hours!
We are here, and beginning to adjust to our new environment! We spent Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas away from the ones we love! We survived each because of our kiddos! We have vowed to make the best of this incredible opportunity that we have been given, and be thankful for the job that we still have!!!!!!
South Africa has lots to offer; we have been on a safari, seen monkeys on the side of the road, walked with elephants, been invited to a Braii, played at the beach, been to a Cricket and a Polo match and have met some friends along the way! I wish I could have this opportunity in my backyard in Bossier, but then it might not be such an adventure!
I have learned more this year than I ever have: I have learned the only way to survive is to take one day at a time, to be patient, to never take anything for granted, and most of all to make sure that the ones around you know how much you love them
So I leave 2008 with some wonderful memories and some horrible memories, but I think I have become wiser through all of them and I hope to always have a piece of Louisiana in my back pocket to help me through what’s in front of me!
New Years, what do I wish for in 2009? I wish for my kids to be happy and healthy, I wish that the economy survives and we have a job, I wish for our parents and family to be healthy and happy-and to come and visit, and of course I wish to loose weight!!!!!!!
Happy New Year!
Megan