Josiah Turned 6

While we were in South Africa Josiah turned six. I can't believe my little boy is getting to be a little man. We had a small family get together to celebrate and he got a few extra gifts this year. He had so much fun getting a new DSi and Super Mario Brothers game for it amongst other things.

Durban - My Home Town

The day after we got back from our weekend away we drove 10 hours to my brother, Neville's, house where we spent a week. He lives in Durban which is the town I grew up in. We had a wonderful week letting the children get to know each other and just having fun. Neville and his wife Melanie have 2 beautiful daughters. Aimee is 5 and Emma is 3. Josiah and Naomi got along with them very well. While were there we spent a morning at the beach (yes it was the middle of winter, but we had to do it anyway!). We also went to UShaka Marine World were we saw a dolphin show a seal show and many marine animals. The kids had a blast. I was surprised to find out the Gambit, one of the dolphins that did shows when I was a little girl, was still performing. Neville and Melanie were in the process of selling their house so we had to quickly clean the mess that we had trailing us for a last minute showing. We also spent time looking at their new house which is going to be completely gutted and rebuilt on the inside. Can't wait to see the finished product.

A Weekend Away

The first weekend that Greg was with us we went away with my parents and my sister's family. We stayed at a vacation rental place in Hazyview and had so much fun. One of the days we went back to the Kruger National park and the other days we shopped and spent time at the cabins just enjoying the sunshine. My sister, her husband and her 2 kids and our family stayed in one cabin. My Mom and Dad had their own cabin so that they could enjoy a little peace and quiet from time to time.

Daddy Arrives

The first 2 weeks of our time in South Africa the kids and I just hung out with my parents. It was a wonderful time for Josiah and Naomi to get to know their grandparents and for Mom and Dad to love on them. Naomi developed a very special bond with Grandpa and Josiah enjoyed reading about African animals with Granny. The time was a very special and the children talk about South Africa all the time. After 2 weeks, my Dad and I drove to Johannesburg to pick Greg up from the airport. Luckily his flight arrived much earlier than ours did so we got to bed at a reasonable time that night. The kids were so excited to see Daddy the next morning. We spent the first few days that Greg was there laying around and walking through the beautiful gardens around the property where Mom and Dad live. Here are a few of the pictures I took of the kids those few days.

The Waterfalls and God's Window

The first weekend that we were in South Africa my Mom, Dad, sister and her family and myself and the kids went to see a couple of the places that I enjoyed as a child. I fully expected my children to be in awe of God's creation, but unfortunately kids are kids and loved playing in the rocks and sand instead. Perhaps when they are a little older they will see the beauty in the waterfalls and the vast scenery. We saw 2 falls: Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls, both of which bring back very fond memories of growing up in South Africa. Josiah loved looking at all the trinkets and wood carvings at the roadside stalls and asked every time we stopped if he could buy something. Naomi loved spending time with Granny and Grandpa and did not want to go see the waterfalls again. For lunch we ate at Harry's, our favorite pancake place. Eating there was one of the only requests that Greg had and so we knew we were going to have to go back when Greg arrived.

Kruger National Park - Day 1, South Africa

The first week in South Africa the kids and I spent a lot of time resting, playing and just hanging out with my parents. It was a good time for Josiah and Naomi to bond with them and enjoy their company. We weren't going to do a whole lot before Greg arrived, but my Dad offered to take us to the Kruger National Park and so I jumped on that right away. The Kruger National Park is a wildlife park (preserve). You drive in your car and when you see an animal you stop and observe it. All the animals are in the wild in their natural habitat. It was a wonderful learning experience especially for Josiah. We got to the park around 10:30am in the morning which is usually quite late to go into the park, but circumstances had it that that is when we got there.
On the whole we did not see a large number of animals, but it was by far one of the most exciting trips to the Park that I have ever had. Shortly into our drive I saw a Waterbuck and her baby very close to the road. We stopped to look and take pictures. The children were hanging out the back window and I was taking pictures out the front window when all of a sudden we heard and felt a large bump on the back bumper of my Dad's truck. Next thing a female lion shoot past us chasing the baby Waterbuck. Man, my heart was racing. We lost both the Waterbucks and the lion. A few minutes later we saw the mama Waterbuck on the opposite side of the road looking over to where she had just come from. We could not see the baby or the lion. My heart sank, thinking that the lion may have gotten the baby. We sat watching for a while and then we saw the lion again. She was sitting in the grass very close to us. Wow! That was way cool. The rest of the day we saw several different kinds of deer, warthog, elephant and baboons. We got home much later than we anticipated and were really tired. It was a fun day though.

Our South Africa Trip Update.

Wow! How time flys. I can't believe we have been back from South Africa for almost 3 weeks already. We are back into our busy routine and ready for another vacation. I still maintain that 5 weeks is just not enough time to spend in South Africa with my family. Next time I will have to go for longer.
The trip there by myself with the 2 kids was really uneventful.
It was not as hard as I thought it would be and my kids were so very well behaved I almost thought they belonged to someone else. We had prep'ed them well for the trip and they did a great job. Josiah was a big help in pushing Naomi in the stroller and Naomi was quite happy to be chauffeured around. We flew Delta from Louisville to Detroit then to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we switched to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. They did a wonderful job with the children on the flight. The flight attendants provided us with games for the kids and took good care of us. We were also allowed to board first. Even before 1st class. It was nice. I had ordered children's meals for them which was great. The food the children got was both healthy and kid friendly - BONUS! It was also served first, so I was able to help them with their meals before I got mine.
When we reached South Africa we had been traveling for close to 30 hours and we were exhausted. I was afraid that Josiah and Naomi would not want to be very friendly when we met my Mom and Dad, but that was far from the case. I was so excited that they both just ran up to Mom and Dad and gave them big hugs and kisses. From that very first instant all through our time in South Africa Naomi and my Dad were best of buddies. It was so good to see. She still says that she misses them and wants to go visit again.
After meeting my parents at the airport we had a 4 hour drive to their house. Which I might add my Dad did in 3 hours. I know we did some low flying and I think we hit some turbulence along the way. We arrived at their house at 2 in the morning at which time we all went straight to bed. Dad woke us up at 10 the next morning saying we needed to get up so we could get over jet lag. ARG! Jet lag is the pits and always worst on day 2.