We re-visited some of our favorite animals...

... and our favorite places...

(Mountain Sanctuary Park)

(Royal Natal, Drakensberg Mountains)

(Royal Natal, Drakensberg Mountains)

... got Evee a super-cute, authentic African hairdo ...

... and loaded up all our belongings...

... it was sadly time to say goodbye to some of our favorite people (I'm sorry I didn't get photos of everyone! If you are not pictured here, know we love you and miss you, too!!)...

Sixishe Sisters

Jen and John

Baby Charley (And Dan and Emma)

the BEST EVER 1st grade teacher -- Miss Tammy

and super fun friends from AISJ 1st grade

the GREATEST 4th grade teacher -- Ms. Jackson

and the best friends a boy could have

our friend and best helper, Joyce

and my sweet, sweet friend, Viola.

AND WITH THAT... we boarded the airplane, and started our journey (with sadness and some hesitation) away from South Africa.

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

I had the best "early" Mother's Day ever... thanks to this guy!

He and the kids had a "secret" meeting during the week and planned my whole day....

Brunch at Moyo Zoo Lake - something I've been wanting to do for a LONG time.

A boat ride around Zoo Lake - not only pleasant but also rather amusing as CW and EW tried to row us around. And some time to play on the best playground discovered in Johannesburg, thus far.

It would have been a PERFECT day, if only it hadn't ended with JW having to fly off to Australia!

Happy Place

Russell's current "happy place"...

For the last few days, when I notice the house is TOO quiet, I've hunted around and found Russell here, surrounded by "happy things" -- this time, it was his motorcyle and a good book.

These days, my "happy place" is snuggled between my new Woolies Winter Sheets. (Seriously the softest and non-balled-up flannel sheets I've ever experienced.) They add happiness to my life.

Where is your "happy place"?

Super-Heroes

Today was "Super-Hero" dress up day for Spirit Week at school. CW went as "Zorro" -- although he's not seen the movies, and I'm not even sure he knows who Zorro is. EW went as Snow White -- there is no doubt in her mind that Snow White is a super-hero. But I have to say, CW and EW are MY super-heroes!! These two kids amaze me!!! No, they are not perfect, and Yes, I do see their faults. But I am often amazed by their goodness. CW is endlessly patient and loving to his little brother -- at 20 months, RDW has NEVER heard CW yell at him, or be angry with him, even though RDW has done things that might warrant frustration and anger from CW. CW is thoughtful of people around him, and intently listens when they speak. He is popular with his peers, and easily accepted by adults. He is always the first to express gratitude for dinner, a fun outing, or a "Zorro" costume. He is obedient and genuinely tries to be the best person he can. EW adores both her brothers, and is kind to them. She shares her favorite doll with her little brother, and lets her older brother tell her how to play Star Wars (even though normally, EW is the one telling people how to play the games). EW is meticulous in her school work, and in her coloring-in, and in her choosing of clothing to wear. EW is confident and comfortable with herself and her own sense of fashion, and can therefore make any combination seem stylish. EW is sincere in all she does, so when she gives a compliment, there is no doubt that she means it with all her heart. EW is good at receiving gifts and kind acts, and responds with such enthusiastic gratitude, that the giver looks forward to the next opportunity to give EW something again. I love these kids!! I am so glad to be their mom, and to be in the company of "Super-Heroes" everyday!

Aquatic Wildlife

One of the main draws of coming to South Africa was the chance to see some outstanding wildlife. So far we have focused on the iconic land mammals, but we decided it was time to look for some of the iconic aquatic animals so we booked a long weekend in Hermanas.

Hermanas in known for having the "best land based whale watching on earth". At one point we got a great view of a whale not far from shore. After watching for several minutes I looked over at Evee to share the joy and she wasn't even looking at the whale. She apparently thought that whale watching was far from exciting. When I thought about it I suppose watching a whale bob up and down in the water really isn't all that exciting. They did look a lot like big black rocks. The penguins were more exciting than the whales, but they also had their drawbacks.

Herding Cats

My all-time favorite TV commercial is of cowboys herding cats. I can't remember what it is supposed to be advertising, but it is all these rough guys telling their stories and showing the scars they've gotten from "herding cats" then it shows the cowboys on horses herding 1000's of cats. Not sure why, but something about the imagery of it all makes me laugh everytime I think of the ad! I recently came across the S. African equivalent to "herding cats". See the picture below... Herding Ostrich!!!! No joke, this is an actual scene we witnessed while we were driving near St. John's Bay. I laughed nearly as hard as I laugh when I watch the herding cats commercial.

It really was quite a sight to see these men trying to get this group of Ostrich to not only go in the same direction, but also the direction intended by the men. A VERY amusing moment. Naturally, we pulled off to the side of the road and enjoyed the entertainment.

A Sad Farewell

Back in the end of September, we had to say a sad farewell to our dear friend, Kristie McMannus. As you can see from the photo, she is ADORED by us!! My first memory of Kristie is from the very first barbeque we attended on Groote Eylandt, Australia. Kristie had also recently arrived on the Eylandt and we had a short conversation about how we were finding things. She struck me as pleasant, and I was impressed that she had taken on the adventure of Groote Eylandt, as a single woman. Our paths didn't cross again for many months, but eventually, she started dating our good friend, Dan Bigney, and so she was dragged along on our weekend adventures and was at our house for dinners and picnics and such. It didn't take long for her to become part of our family! And when it was time for us to move from Groote Eylandt to S. Africa, we were all so sad to be leaving her behind. FORTUNATELY.... she accepted a job in Johannesburg a few months after we had moved, and so once again we were dragging her along on weekend adventures and making her trial our new dinner recipes. We were so lucky to have her here and to share some great times in S. Africa with her. Kristie was here for nearly two years but then she decided to go back to Australia and so, in September we had to say goodbye -- happy for her, that she was returning to be closer to her family, and moving on to a new adventure, but sad for us that one of our favorite people was leaving the continent.

WE MISS YOU, KRISTIE!!!!!