Season Greetings and New Year’s Blessings

My wish for all of you is a merry, blessed and fruitful 2013!

Our festive season included the following :

• Littlest meeting the sea, sandy shores and crashing waves for the first time, and she could not stop giggling while doing so

• Biekies soaking up every last bit of said sea, sandy shores and crashing waves, making pretty sure they leave nothing behind to be regretted later

 

• They hopped, skipped and jumped from one rock to another, carefully inspecting the rock pools, observing it’s inhabitants, amazed by the little creatures that could be found

 

• We took a trip to Stilbaai to visit the well-known Fresh Water Spring and it’s eel- residents which can be found at the Stilbaai Tourism Bureau and Museum




• We visited granddad’s workplace, where H got a ride in one of their very BIG John Deere thingies…he was ecstatic to say the least, where as Z preferred to observe it all from the safety of her mamma’s hip

 

• And then, the big highlight of the entire holiday…..littlest impatiently awaiting the arrival of Father Christmas!!

 

But this year our Christmas Story was slightly different than the previous :

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house

Biekies was stirring, scaring even the mouse
Santa phoned, not once, not twice but trice
Asking if the children are being naughty or nice

Grandpa told us the story
Of Santa and all the Christmas Glory
Eyes began to sparkle and smiles grew wide
As Biekies sat listening, side by side

Over the mountains and through the valleys he came
Calling each reindeer by their name
But in Oudshoorn he had to make a quick stop
As reindeer grew exhausted and was about to drop

He exchanged his reindeers and sleigh
For a big-ass motorbike on which he could cruise the highway
He requested that only a glass of milk be left outside
with no time to spare, he could only drop, drink and ride

Far in the distance, we heard a rumble, we heard a noise,
and as we opened the front door….oh the joys!

There was excitement and laughter and smiles
Making it all truly worthwhile!!!…..

We really enjoyed our holiday, although it was a bit short, but hey, who am I to complain. We got to see a different side of Z, as if we got to know her a little bit better, being apart for almost 11 hours a day can be difficult on any parent-child relationship. She is such an amazing little person, and some days we really do underestimate her, but this holiday she proved to be a very clever, brave, energetic littlest person.

 

I have been pondering on this subject for a few days now, and have once again managed to force my foot into my mouth and down my throat about this, and the wrong person got stuck in the crossfire. And yes, I am truly sorry for tipping the apple cart upside down, but please try and see all of this through my eyes, try and understand…. (And might I not be stoned for speaking my mind on my blog)

 

Whilst on vacation I had some time to rekindle my love for my camera and photography, and I was once again reminded how much I love doing it, it is my passion and something I feel really strong about. I don’t take photos just because it is one more photo to be filed on the computer and forgotten about, I take photos because for me each and every photo I take is soaked with love and precious memories. I don’t mind sharing my photos but then I wish to be the one sharing them with everyone.

And who would have though that one year passed since this….

H passed Gr. 0 with an amazing report and a very good assessment, and we proceeded with our preparations for Gr. 1 this year.

Dressed in a neatly ironed school uniform (exclude the shoes as they do not fit at all anymore), lunch packed, stationary marked and backpack ready, we started the new school year with great anticipation. And a few weeks’ later things have been going good, so I am one very happy mamma!

And some more exciting times to come for us as family. My little baby sister is getting married!! Oh jippie! We have been waiting for this for so long. She went through some pretty trying times these last couple of months, and have been blessed with a wonderful fiancé, they adore each other, and I am so proud of her!

As most things in this life, a marriage is not “born” perfect, but through hard work and perseverance it is possible to create the most beautiful and perfect relationship and marriage. And if one remembers to include communication, love, trust and mutual respect, you have indeed a winning formula!