Cinnamon Rolls

This evening I really wanted to bake. For some reason had cinnamon rolls stuck in my head...I had to make cinnamon rolls! I got Steve to join me and we had so much fun. He doesn't usually bake and we've never really cooked/baked anything together, so it was a new experience.
Noah came and joined us in the kitchen and we had fun talking. Once we had cooked a batch of rolls, we had to taste them to make sure they were edible for everyone else. According to the boys the cinnamon rolls were a success. So, we're having cinnamon rolls for breakfast.--Hooray!

Chubby Cheeks and Toothless Grins

Some recent pictures and updates of the kids during this last month. They grow so fast...sigh

Brendan: 7months.
So cute! The cutest baby in the whole world. He going through teething, he has two teeth now, and he's being weaned! I can tell you he does not like it one bit. He hates drinking milk bottles but tolerates water. He loves walking, whether in his walker or supported by one of us. It's one of his favorite activities and can keep his happy when nothing else will. He also still loves the great outdoors and can entertain himself for a long time just sitting on the grass.

The pose he likes to take when flirting.

Toothless no more! Take a good look and you can see two little teeth peeking out.

"Baby in a basket." Anything new is totally awesome in the eyes of a little tyke. It also gives me a few extra minutes to clean up any disaster that was made during snack time.

Kiara: 3 years.

We celebrated her birthday on the 22nd on this month, but it's actually on the 18th. There was a big plan for a party with all her little friends but one of the homes have measles and are in quarantine. Her parents made the day as special as they could and she had fun.

She's the best little student a teacher could ever have. She reads and writes so well. This last week she has really overcome her shyness barrier with reading to others. I found her showing off her new skill to a few people in the home! (I'm so proud of her) We try to do French every afternoon. It's so cute when she tries to pronounce the words. When she gets into it she starts asking me for the French names of objects, then she shows of to others at meal times.

She's kind to Brendan and acts like a little mommy for him. I ask her to help watch him and the other day I let her feed him. She really enjoyed that! Sometimes there are little bouts of jealously especially when she sees the interesting baby thing he has. She wants to try anything that's his: his bottles, his baby mush, new cup,..etc.

And she's still very affectionate. She's always holding my arm, kissing it, or asks to give kisses and hugs.

The Princess

Licking frosting of the candles

Look at that serious little face!--so pretty, so cute.

Peace and Quiet

This week we had our monthly prayer day. During the afternoon I decided to take some meditation time going for a walk in our garden and the nature reserve. I hadn't gone for a leisurely walk in so long I had forgotten how peaceful and relaxing it could be. I brought my camera along to capture anything that caught my fancy.--mainly the sunset, it was beautiful.
On my way back to the house I saw a herd of antelope nearby. They hadn't seen me so I kept quiet and tried not to move. Then the wind changed and I think they caught my scent because a few of them were on the alert. A few seconds later the leader gave a snort and they all dashed off to a safer distance. They're such amazing creatures it was so cool to observe them for that short while. Here are some of my favorite shots taken that day. I love sunsets! But look for yourself and tell me which ones you like.

Boabab

Today was my free-day, and I decided "art"! That's what I wanted to do, I wanted to paint.--So I did. I borrowed all the necessary tools from Joy (brushes, guache, pad...) and went to it. Here's my boabab and 'african sunset'.

Pisces Party

Super awesome party for Steve and Noah's birthday(which they organized themselves)! Each home had to dress up with a theme, and the best dressed couple would win a prize. We had lots of fun partying till 3am. After saying goodbyes we had to do a little clean-up before we could head for our cozy beds. We had a few game and plenty of dancing, but those pictures never turn out good so I won't be posting any here.
Lynwood home: Gothic/punks

Steve and Ben enjoying their drinks immensely.

The TIV dance troupe dancing to: Watch Out for 666. No...actually they're just posing for the picture.

Bollywood girls from Woodlands.

Joy and I with our "Moulin Rouge" attire made from scraps found around the house

The birthday boy and myself

Toothies

Brendan has his first tooth!! Well, it's not completely out, just poking out of the gum. It's so amazing and I'm so happy and proud of him. I saw it this morning when I was feeding him some snack. I was so surprised I fell back in shock. It's exciting to watch him grow and get cuter and smarter every day.

Pencil

My latest pencil/chalk drawing. I haven't done sketches in a year so I think I need some practice. Anyway, this picture looks better from far...

So Long, Farewell...

Earlier this week Natalie-Ann was leaving back to Congo so she organized a farewell get-together. It was going to be a small thing but a lot of people showed up,(each thinking they were going to be the only ones there!). We went to Dros and ended up siting outside were it was freezing cold.

I love meeting old friends. This was the first time I've seen Brian again since I was 15. I love you Brian, you're such an awesome guy!!

Everyone being silly and trying to put on their "Treasure Attic" happy smiles.

Where Mari is, there is fun and craziness.

Joy and Tasha.--Lovely girl and good friend. If you haven't meet her yet put it at the top of your to-do list.

Some of us posing with Natalie for the farewell picture. There were quite a few "shy" people who hid behind the cameras.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Disclaimer: I know Steve's birthday was on the 6th, but my PC having a mind of it's own decided not to connect for the past two days. But I thought better late than never.

Happy Birthday my love! You're all I could ever ask for, and more. I hope we can celebrate many more birthdays together.

Things I Love About You
I love...

Your smile

The way you hug me and hold me close

Your laugh and crazy sense of humour

Your friendship

Your honesty

The way you listen to me and try to understand me

Your big blue eyes

The way you kiss me

How you make me feel like the most special person in the world

The way you dance with me

I love you!

For Steve's birthday I wanted to surprise him. He was going to be out at work all day so I thought it would be best to surprise him in the morning before he left. The day before I had made a cake and asked Noah to buy me coffee liquor. That morning on his birthday I woke up at 6:30 so I thought I'd go downstairs ahead of him and set up the surprise. I told him that I wanted to go ahead, reheat my water bottle..etc. (that was actually true!) So I went down made frosting, decorated the cake, put out the coffee liquor for everyone. I also put together the 'happy birthday' sign Kiara and I had made for him. Then I went back upstairs to call him saying the usual, "come get breakfast, let's not be late for devotions". He had no idea! He finally came down in a few minutes and was so surprised. The look on his face was priceless--bewilderment, surprise, and embarrassment. It was so much fun to do that for you baby!

In the evening we had friends over for a relaxing birthday get-together. They ended up leaving early but we still had fun.

School Days...

"School days are happy days, learning can be fun!" I love teaching. It's especially fun with the two little students I have. They're both so cute and smart, and so eager to learn. I must be the happiest teacher in the world!
Here's a picture of the two cuties in the classroom.

Brendan--he's always the center of attention. It's not hard to figure out why. He's just the most adorable "man-cub" around! (Check out the rolls of blubber)

The Beauty of Nature

Some of my attempts at photography...