In February It will be My Snowman's Anniversary

(...with cake for him and soup for me! Happy once, happy twice, happy chicken soup with rice.)

Hi all,

I recently found a copy of Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice for about 50 cents in a Pretoria used book store and cannot stop singing the version by Carol King.  (Listen to Carol sing it proud on YouTube. I'm hoping some of you Generation X-ers remember it well.)  Thankfully Lucy puts up with me.  Aside: I didn't realize that Sendak was gay.  Read his obituary in the Times for more.

Here are some highlights from February of this year.

 Noah started to climb out of his crib, so out with that and in with a big boy bed!  He actually did great with the transition, though we did move the bed so it was against the wall to reduce unplanned "fall outs."

February is the month of birthdays.  The first was Dorothy's.

For those who don't know, Dorothy is our nanny and has lived with us for almost a year and a half now. Yes, we're spoiled, and yes, I've seen The Help, and yes, it sometimes weirds me out.  But she's a wonderful woman and it's been great to get to know her, her life and history (I go there slowly), and about her kids (she has three grown children).  She's with us Monday through Thursday and spends the weekend in a nearby township close to her kids.

Our blue-eyed beauties.

 (We paid extra for blue eyes.)  (Just kidding.)  (Not really.)  (Yes, yes, of course I'm kidding.)

Photo tip - If you click on a photo, you can see it larger in a slideshow kind of way. I think it's new.

Flight of the Cousins

Adam's first cousins, Nina and Marc, came to visit from NYC.  Noah and Marc did a welcome dance over popsicles.

 ...and then quickly bonded over their shared love of Tai Chi.

Nina looked on with (jet-lagged) amusement.

Who said we don't have a pool?!

Birthday #2, Noah's! 

 Noah got a shout out at school on his birthday. (He goes to a SA pre-school from 9-12.)

Apparently it's tradition here for teachers to make the birthday kid wear a crown.  Noah happily complied...

We celebrated with some birthday mini-cakes!  (Upon seeing this photo today, Lucy was quick to point out that "kids don't like carrot cake." The only logical response, "Who said it was for a kid?")

Camping Redux

Another weekend in Feb we went camping with friends. As I've mentioned, camping can be quite civilized here. Here are little outhouses and behind them was an area for "braiing" (barbecuing) and washing up.

 Breakfast of champions

We went with our friend Peter and his daughter, Amie (bottom right), and the Foxes, whose parents (at far end of table) have lived in Zambia for years, first with the British High Commission and now as proprietors of a B&B for bird-watching enthusiasts.  (We might have to check it out one day.)

We set up our tent near a small stream. It was a beautiful camp site.

Who said camping means roughing it?
(Lucy did get a bee sting when getting out, which was pretty rough.)

BFFs... Amie and Lucy

Meeting of the local naturists society.

In the late afternoon, we did a safari drive through a neighboring nature reserve.

We spotted some blesbok, identifiable by their distinct white faces.  First time I've seen them.

We all piled into the 4x4 and about 20 minutes into our drive it absolutely poured.  We all got quite wet, but it was fairly warm outside so we decided not to turn back.  Noah was in hot pursuit of animals.

We came upon some zebra, to which Noah started shouting, "Hi Zebra! He Zebra", pronouncing the animal's name like a true local, "ZEH-bruh". 

 Our quest continued...

Adam stayed focused on the task.

A lone wildebeest.  Probably male. Likely ornery.

Why sit in the truck when you can sit on it?

Lucy and Ad sat in the "Spotter" seat, where the safari guide is supposed to track things like lions. (I asked them to be on the look out for a Starbucks.)

 They were useless, so I took a turn.

(We decided the Grandmas probably wouldn't like it if Noah joined me up there, so he stayed where he was and tracked the zeh-bruhs from the back.)

 We woke up on our last morning to a gentle but steady rain.  A bit chilly but we're tough (sort of).

Noah and Adam discuss the morning news.

The biggest news item was a visit by an amazing "Shogololo" (the zulu name for millipede... and fun to say.. "SHONGO-LOLO"). The kids were entranced as the little guy marched across the breakfast area.

Last but not least, Lucy's Birthday!

On Feb 21, Lucy turned six and came home from school with her own special crown.

We celebrated with a small fireworks display.

Noah helped Lucy open a present or two.

Aunt Susie sent Lucy some cool "pop-in" beads. 

That weekend we had a birthday party for her at Zita Park, famous (among the kidset) for its water slide.

Lucy dove right in.

 Noah was partial to the playground equipment.

My Little African

Our friend Carron Fox made Lucy's birthday cake again this year.  (Sadly, the Foxes are moving back to England in a month.  This is what happens over here.)

 

I'm not sure what I was saying, but it was probably something important like, "You guys better go sit down or I'm going to eat this whole thing myself." (Carron makes a mean chocolate cake.)

The Safari likely put on a few kilos (whatever that means) from all the birthday cake, but such is life on the savanna.

xo,

G