Harvett Boys

Dec 2011 Holidays Part 3

2012-01-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

The last part of our holiday was spent with Christina's family at Amathunzi Nature Reserve just outside Robertson. We rented a big house that could easily accommodate 9 adults and 6 kids and with spectacular views over the mountains and a wild life watering hole. Every afternoon a number of Zebras would come right up to the house to graze on the lawn. It was a very relaxing place to unwind, read books, hike and swim. Zack wanted to swim at least 3 times every day and enjoys being thrown up into the air to make cannon balls. Amathunzi is also conveniently located near one of the lesser traveled Robertson / Klein Karoo wine regions of South Africa. We visited Springfield, Kranskop, Excelsior and Viljoensdrift wineries. At Viljoensdrift we took a boat cruise down the Breede River. Other highlights were visits to the quint towns of MacGreggor and Montagu, and Gavin and Willem got to play a round of golf at Silwerstrand/Robertson golf course.

Dec 2011 Holidays Part 2

2012-01-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent in Noordhoek with Gavin's family. A wonderful fish braai at Pete's brother's house overlooking Noordhoek beach, Kommetjie & Fishhoek was enjoyed while the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. Christmas morning was the usual gift bonanza with all kids seemingly very pleased with what Santa/Father Christmas brought them. Before lunch we took a nice long stroll along the beautiful Noordhoek beach and played the compulsory soccer game. Lunch was fantastic and it was wonderful to spend it with family and some family friends (aunt Myra and Vanessa) who we have not seen in many years.

Dec 2011 Holidays Part 1

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

The first part of our holiday was spent on the South Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Christina and the boys went a few days early to spend some time with Christina's parents in Durban. One of the highlights for the boys was a visit to a wild bird sanctuary. Gavin and the Harveys (Gavin's sister, husband and two teenagers) joined the holiday makers and we spent a thoroughly enjoyable week at San Lameer. The weather was great and allowed us to go to the beach every day to play soccer, have fun in the lagoon and swim in the warm Indian Ocean. We made really good use of the estate's facilities and managed to play golf, squash, lawn bowls, sip smoothies by the pool etc. etc. A personal favorite was also revisited... famous Natal curry on the beach!

Life in the Harvett Household

2011-11-22T12:24:00.001-08:00

We have not blogged for a while, so thought it is a good idea to catch up a little. The 2011 school year is coming to an end and there are several class concerts and award ceremonies to be attended. Both boys are happy in their respective schools, which is good - because next year they will both be going to the same schools as where they were this year. Zack has taken a liking to reading comic books just like his older brother. He can't read yet, but likes to have Aiden read for him or just looking at the pictures. Their latest favorite is Supa Strikas! One evening we rescued a little bird that had fallen from it's nest. There is a new cousin, Elizabeth, who was born a few weeks ago. The boys believe that they are growing so fast because they eat all their breakfast cereal.

Kagga Kama

2011-11-22T12:08:00.001-08:00

For as long weekend in early November we visited Kagga Kamma private game reserve about 1 hour north of Ceres in the "Koue Bokkeveld" area of the Western Cape. It is a stunningly beautiful place with the most amazing rock formations. Being out of season there were very few other people there and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Aiden and Zack along with their two cousins Johan and Albert thoroughly enjoyed climbing the rocks and it is a small miracle that none of them got hurt. The weather was chilly but gorgeous to be out in nature. These are just a small sample of the photos that we took.

Da-Big-Five!

2011-09-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's officially only tomorrow (Sep 12th), but we've been celebrating Aiden's 5th birthday the entire weekend. It started with a "boys only" Wii party for a handful of Aiden's school buddies here at our home on Saturday. This was followed by a BIG rugby game... South Africa vs Wales on Sunday morning (this was SA's opening match in the 2011 Rugby world Cup... they narrowly won 17-16). Lots of family and friends came over for the game and then stayed for a braai - many of us proudly wearing the green-and-gold. Christina baked another stunning cake and Aiden thoroughly enjoyed all the attention. There was also time for a spirited soccer game in the garden.

Random things

2011-09-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Winter is winding down and things are pretty much normal lately, which is great! The weather allows us to partake in one of our favorite family outings... ice cream on the beach. We can often still not believe that we live only 10 minutes from a spectacular beach with loads of wide open space. Aiden and Zack enjoy playing with their shovels and just running! We got some silk worms from a friend of a friend and the boys call them "the fellas". The fellas (in the Prince shoe box being watched by Aiden) are growing really fast and it is nice to know that some things are still the way they were when we were kids. Next weekend is Aiden's 5th birthday party, so we will be posting some photos here soon afterward.

Zack is 3!

2011-07-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

We had two days of celebrating Zack's birthday. On Friday, we had a party at Zack's school with all his class friends. On Saturday, we had all the relatives who live in Cape Town over for lunch. I could not ask for a more beautiful day. We BBQ'd fish, while the cousins played outside with all the cool new toys. Being able to celebrate birthdays with the family is what makes moving back to South Africa all the sweeter. Having a little bit of summer in the middle of winter was just the cherry on top! Zack is so proud to be 3 and I cannot believe my baby is 3 already! He loves school, drawing and jumping off things. He still loves his two blankets and drives his brother insane when he mixes the letters while singing the ABC song. Guess some things never change!

The way we like Winter :-)

2011-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

The weather this past weekend was absolutely perfect and exactly the way we like to do winter… 24 degrees C and sunny. We visited the Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens on Saturday afternoon followed by the boys' highlight of the weekend - CARS 2! This was only the second time that that all 4 Harvetts went to the movies together. It is a fantastic movie and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. On Sunday Christina and Zack were not feeling too well, so they spent most of the day at home. Gavin and Aiden went on a bit of an adventure… A hike in the Silver Boom Kloof Nature reserve, followed by a game of Battleship on the beach in Gordon's Bay, followed by lunch at the Spur in Gordon's Bay and then grocery shopping for the week.

Quad bikes and Olive oil

2011-07-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a relaxing winter weekend with lots of good sport on TV to keep us occupied, including Djokovik's first Wimbledon victory. We left the house only twice... once to go shopping for beds for the Harvett Boys (where we were sidetracked by 2 quad bikes outside the furniture store!) and once to go buy coffee and do some wine tasting. Our favorite coffee roastery is on the property of the Lourensford wine estate. It was rainy and sunny at the same time with a beautiful rainbow over the mountains. We also went to Morgenster wine estate where we tasted some of their amazing wines and Christina did an olive oil tasting. It was very cosy... next to a fire place... Aiden was reading and Zack was sniffing olive oils and eating olives with his Mommy.

Winter Activities

2011-06-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Winter is in full swing in the Cape and Friday was the last day of the school term. Most days are rainy and cold, so we are confined to indoor activities. No problem. Aiden and Zack have discovered that hide and seek is super fun (even though Zack's hiding places are not always that genius :-). Aiden really loves reading and occasionally Zack can sit still for long enough that Aiden can actually read a story to him. These times are precious for Mom and Dad as it gives us a nice break.

We had Paul and Lezinda Ras and their sons Darrian and Divan over for dinner tonight. Paul is one of Gavin's oldest friends as they go back to 2nd grade. It was the first time in almost 9 years that we got together and we simply had to take a picture of all the boys. It was a fun night.

The Boxer

2011-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Aiden's been wanting a boxing bag for some time now, so when we found a shop floor tarnished one for cheap we snagged it and suspended it from the roof in the lapa. So far it is getting good use as both boys enjoy putting on the boxing gloves (actually karate mittens) and having a good old punch-up on the bag. Hey - it sure beats them punching up on each other.

It was a stunning weekend in the Cape Town area and we made good use of the summer-like conditions with several visits to parks and also the beach. Aiden is starting to show more signs of an interest in soccer these days, so we may look at signing him up for some soccer classes again soon.

The second week of school went MUCH better than the first. Zack now runs to his classroom in the morning, takes his nap on schedule, and is still a happy camper when we pick him up from school in the afternoon. Let's hope it continues this way.

Zack's first day of school!

2011-05-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Friday marked the day when both Harvett Boys attended a full day of school for the first time. Zack started school for the very first time and Aiden went from half day to full day. They both did very well, so hopefully it continues that way next week. The photo below is from Aiden's "Green class" at school. All kids 4 or 5 years old. Aiden is in the front row in the middle.

We spent a quiet weekend at home. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting from Durban and the weather was cold and dreary. Fortunately there was a lot of sport to watch on TV :-). The kids had to play indoors most of the time, so we broke out some puzzles and other old toys that have not been played with in a while.

Cousins

2011-05-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about living back in South Africa is that the Harvett boys get to spend a lot more time with their cousins than before. Last weekend the oldest cousins - Nicola & Jordan - watched the boys while the parents all went out for a memorable grown-up dinner. And currently the youngest of the cousins - Alexis (age 6 weeks) - visited last weekend too and Aiden got to hold her for the first time. The Steyn cousins are having a brand new house built, and the four boys have a great time getting very dirty on the building site.

No place like the Karoo!

2011-05-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend we had the privilege of being able to take the Harvett Boys away to a real sheep farm in the middle of the Karoo somewhere between Williston and Carnavon. It was a low stress 6 hour drive to parts of our beautiful country that few people ever visit, but those who do absolutely love it. We did too. Our hosts were Kobus and Sanet van Wyk on their 12,000 hectare farm called Dagbreek (Day break).

The days were filled with quad bike riding, rubberducking, hiking through the veld, dirt bike riding and of course LOTS OF EATING. The Karoo is best known for the quality of their lamb as well as certain game. We were spoilt with Sanet's cooking 3 times per day. The night skies in the Karoo are spectacular allowing us to show Aiden and Zack some constellations that are not visible in the Northern hemisphere for the first time.

One day we drove 80km on dirt roads and through a couple of rivers (flowing due to recent heavy rain in the area) to the farm where our friend, Mandy, grew up. It was here that the boys were able to to meet some lambs close-up and explore the veld. We even encountered a few skeletons that probably belong to foxes, but we were convinced they were baby Velociraptors and T-Rex skeletons.

The Karoo people are wonderfully hospitable and we were even treated to a real Karoo house party that involved Kareoke, Snooker, a Treasure hunt and again lots and lots of food. On the last night we went porcupine hunting and succeeded in getting two fairly quickly. Porcupines are unwelcome visitors on most Karoo farms as they cause a lot of damage, so we were in fact, doing the farmer a favour.

Photo from Flat Takuro

2011-04-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here is map in Takuro's class, showing where all the "flat" kids traveled to.

I think it is a great school project.

Flat Takuro

2011-04-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

One of Aiden's preschool friends, Takuro, from Folsom Montessori, asked us to be part of his kindergarten social studies project. He made a "flat Takuro", which he mailed to us for a "visit". We took Flat Takuro to Aiden's new school and showed him around town in Stellenbosch and Cape Town. He even joined us on our visit to the museum. The purpose of the project is to learn more about other places in the world. I am very proud to say, that Takuro's teacher thought that he visited to coolest place from all the kids in his class and that we did a good job with the project!

We had a lot of fun, doing this project and it made me miss all our Californian friends even more. But remember...it is the coolest place to come and visit! Even if you come by mail.

Party like it's 2011!

2011-04-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

The autumn weather so far is absolutely great. It still feels like summer! We had a busy weekend starting with cousin Johann's 6th birthday party at Helderberg Farm on Saturday. The kids (mostly boys) had a blast playing cricket & rugby but the highlight was 2-story high hill covered with lush Kikuyu grass that they climbed up and rolled down from for almost an hour. Sunday was spent with the other cousins in Noordhoek and we got in some quality beach time in pristine weather conditions. The rain is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so it was nice to be able to spend a lot of time outdoors.

More vacation fun!

2011-04-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

I love vacation time! Visiting all these tourist hot spots, make me feel as if I am on vacation too! Today was aquarium day! They have this fish tank with a viewing area in the center, filled with clown fish. Pretty cool to be surrounded by Nemos! The highlights were the giant spider crab, the ragged tooth shark and the Burmese Python, which Aiden was able to hold. We will definitely be back!

School vacation

2011-04-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

We have a week's vacation this week and another week at the end of the month for the Easter vacation. The weather is still gorgeous, although it is definitely autumn with cool evenings. Today we visited the Natural history museum and planetarium in Cape Town. They have a dinosaur exhibition, which was really cool to see. We are going through another dinosaur phase and even Zack got really excited when I told him we are going to look at dinosaur bones.

Aiden's first sports day

2011-03-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Aiden's school had their annual sports day and it was so much fun to see how excited (and competitive) Aiden was at the race. The main event was the 50 meter dash. We had to wear shirts with the colour of their class (he is in the green class) but he insisted that his shirt has a number on. Because it is not a race, if you do not have a numbered shirt! He did not win a ribbon but he loved every moment of it. The other events included bean bag toss, potato-in-spoon race (which he did not like and slowly walked the entire race) and the dads raced with their kid in a wheelbarrow.

Zack enjoyed the day as well, mainly because there were big sports fields he could run around on. The sports day was at the elementary school, De Hoop, across the street from Aiden school. The sports fields have a gorgeous view of the mountains and the Atlantic ocean, which you can see in the distance behind Zack.

Winos!

2011-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Harvett Boys currently have the rare privilege of being assistants in the making of wine for their parents :-) We are part of a group of a dozen or so people that have pooled some cash, sourced some grapes and are in the process of making a 2011 Shiraz. The process is taking place at Joostenberg's cellars just outside Stellenbosch. Earlier this week we met at the winery for the de-stemming and sorting process that produced 3 tubs of grapes and juice. Later in the week fermentation started to occur, so today we went for the "punch down" - a process that happens 3-4 times daily for about 10 days. The boys were very eager to help and are impressed with the enormous quantities of grapes. Place your orders now s we hope to have everything bottled and ready for consumption (or aging if you have the discipline) by this time next year!

Hiking in Helderberg nature reserve

2011-02-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

We are continuing our exploration of our new town and visited the Helderberg nature reserve on Sunday morning. Our house is on the foot of the Helderberg (it means "clear mountain") and it is about a 10 minute drive to the entrance of the park. It was a beautiful, windless morning and it was beautiful the walk through the indigenous plant life. The highlight of couse, was the local wild life we came across. We named him Angus. :)

This photo is just to cute not to blog about, and is the result of Zack's uncle swinging him around in our pool.

Boys!

2011-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

We are really enjoying the summer, with lots of visits with the family and going to the beach. We were able to combine the two with a visit to my brother's beach house in Melkbosstrand, which is about an hours drive from us. Aiden discovered the two waterguns at the house and did not let go for the rest of the weekend.

Zack just loves the spiderman mask.

Our new home

2011-01-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the home we're renting in Somerset West. We made good use of the outdoor space with parties on Friday and Sunday. Today we celebrated ouma Annaline's birthday with cousins, uncles and aunts. We cooked a lovely leg of lamb (from the Karoo) on the Weber accompanied by some of the wines we picked up on our winery visits last weekend.

Both boys have turned into excellent swimmers. Aiden can dive out a torpedo from the shallow end of the pool all by himself and Zack does a very decent head-first dive and is able to swim up to the surface. After a few more months of this wonderful weather they may grow scales and fins... Aiden thoroughly enjoyed his first few days of school and looks forward to Monday morning when he get to go again.

First day of school in SA

2011-01-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a long and eventful transition from life in California to life in the Fairest Cape. Today somehow signifies the end of the transition and the beginning of routine with Aiden attending his first day of "Grade 0" at Rooha Pre-Primary in Somerset West. He has been looking forward to going back to school for a long time and thoroughly enjoyed his day. He will now be going 5 days per week from 8am-12:30pm.

We are making good progress with unpacking and settling in, and I even have some time to update the blog for a change. It's wonderful to still have a packed schedule thanks to so many friends and family in the area. We're still catching up with everybody and enjoying every moment of it.

Family Holiday at San Lameer

2010-12-18T04:30:00.001-08:00

We are currently enjoying a very relaxing
holiday with Christina's family at San Lameer on the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal. The days are warm, humid and balmy and the evenings very nice and cool. Since our last visit here 2 years ago, a beautiful swimming pool with gorgeous views of the Indian Ocean and Trafalgar Beach has been added to the house. Needless to say (and as can be seen from the photos), we are thoroughly enjoying the pool.

We've also already been to the beach several times and Aiden and Zack are really enjoying the big waves and the lagoon. Our nights are spent braaing on the deck and enjoying some of SA's finest wines. We are also partaking in a favorite South African tradition of watching test cricket (5 day matches). South Africa is playing India. It is currently the 1st test and SA is teaching India a lesson! Jacques Kallis (probably the best all-round cricket player in SA history) scored his highest score ever today... 201 runs not out.

Feels like vacation...

2010-12-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

We can't believe that it is already December and that we've been back in SA for over a month already. In many ways it feels like we're still on vacation... We've just had our first weekend where there were no prior commitments and we could sleep in a little and do just what we wanted. On Saturday we visited a few kid-friendly wine farms... Kanu, Welmoed and Skilpadvlei. Sunday morning Christina went for another swim at Clifton while Gavin took the boys for a two-and-a-half hour hike through th vineyards and up a hill above Jordan winery. The views were spectacular, but it was a bit of a windy day so we were glad to get back indoors.

Other photos are from last weekend when we visited Noordhoek for Nicola's 15th birthday and we went for a walk on the beach. And a few weeks ago Gavin wento to a SA vs USA soccer match at the new soccer stadium in Cape Town

New Wheels!

2010-11-27T04:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy first month for us back in South Africa, but we've made great progress getting things sorted out. We now have a car (photo: Peugeot Partner Grand Raid 2L Diesel), a house in Somerset West as of 1 Jan, a pre-school for Aiden starting in Jan and SA credit cards. We're still living on the farm with our friends and when the weather allows we spend a lot of time outside and in the vineyards. A highlight for the boys was when a CAT digger spent a whole week digging up a section of the vineyard where new vines will soon be planted. We took them for a close-up look one afternoon.

Ahhh... Africa!

2010-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been back in South Africa for 10 days now and it has been an absolute blast! The Harvett boys (and mom & dad) all adjusted well to the time zone change and thankfully we have all managed to stay healthy. The flights from San Francisco to London and then on to Cape Town all went smoothly and the boys were super stars. Most of the toys, games and bribes we had acquired for the trip were not even needed.

We've spent some time with grannie and cousins but still have many more visits to go. We're staying with our good friends Nico & Annerie in their house on a wine farm about 10km outside Stellenbosch. The views from here are spectacular and there are 3 winery tasting rooms within easy walking distance. Enough said :-)

We still don't have a car and our money is still tied up in the US, but hopefully these matters will get resolved this coming week. We're also starting to look at rental houses tomorrow. Lots to do, but we're enjoying it all very much!

Saying goodbye...

2010-10-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

It was Josh's 6th birthday party on October 16th and we could not miss a party which included a visit from the Lizard Lady! She showed us the most amazing snakes, lizards and even a 65 year old tortoise. Josh, as the birthday boy, could hold each reptile and the other kids could touch them. Super cool. The brown "snake" Josh is holding, is actually a legless lizard...because he has eyelids and ears...and an x-ray shows about 10 legs that disappeared over time.

The baseball playoffs are still in full swing and Gavin's team, the San Francisco Giants are still in the running...so Team Harvett was dressed in Giant's gear to show support (on Gavin's insistence). Yes, even I am the proud owner of a Buster Posey t-shirt, and yes, I know who he is!

We were able to visit the Svendsens on the way home, to say goodbye. The boys are super cute.

It feels like Halloween!

2010-10-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

We are making the most of a few weeks of Fall before we return to South Africa and the start of another summer. We visited Apple Hill with friends and had a great time eating apples, apple pie, running through the maze and picking out the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve.
Just look at Aiden's funny faces - it seems to becoming an art form for him....trying to make a different face each time we take a photo.

Gavin made his best pumpkin carving to date! We were all very impressed!

Alcatraz, Science, & Giants!

2010-10-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's the end of a hectic but enjoyable weekend spent in San Francisco and Mountain View. Christina swam the "Alcatraz Centurion" event on Saturday. A ferry takes the swimmers to Alcatraz and then they swim 1.3 miles in the Bay to San Francisco's Aquatic Park. Fortunately the sea lions stayed away this year and let the swimmers do their thing without distraction. Christina really enjoyed the event and it was a memorable conclusion to her very busy summer of open water swimming.

Afterwards we met the Pollocks at the California Academy of Sciences in the Golden Gate Park. The boys really enjoyed every minute of it and Aiden even got to see the worlds biggest and most advanced planetarium show... Mind blowing graphics and simulation of how the sun, stars and supernovas formed.

In between all the weekend activity we kept our finger on the pulse of the last 3 games of the regular season for the San Francisco Giants. On Sunday, in the last game of the 162-game season, they beat the San Diego Padres to win the National League West division and make it to the playoffs. Aiden and Zack were thrilled that "the good guys" won! We showed our support by wearing our Giants T-shirts!

Aiden's 4th Birthday Weekend

2010-09-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Aiden's 4th birthday in perfect California weather. Saturday's highlight was the pool party at home for Aiden and his friends. Christina made an orange dragon cake of which all the kids, especially the birthday boy, approved! In the weeks leading up to his birthday Aiden spent a lot of time in the swimming pool and he is now an official swimmer. His favorite pool trick is when his dad launches him into the air and he lands with a huge splash in the pool... then comes up for air before swimming off to the side and getting out for more. We are very impressed!

On Sunday we went to the California Capital Air Show only about 10 miles from our house. It is a huge show with many US Air Force, Navy, and commercial aircraft on display. Aiden and Zack are both fans of fighter jets (Top Gun is in their top 5 movies), so they thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits and the aerial displays that were put on. Tomorrow Aiden starts his second year of pre-school.

What a weekend!

2010-08-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

We took the boys on their first train ride this past weekend. There is a light rail train that runs from Folsom to Sacramento and on Saturday morning we took the train to the local farmers market. The boys loved the live music and balloon swords and Gavin got so inspired with all the fresh local veggies that he made us a fantastic dinner on Sunday and decided to start a cooking blog for dads...We will keep you posted!

Hot August Chill

2010-08-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Harvett Four returned to Donner Lake near Tahoe for another open water swim event Christina competed in. This one was appropriately named "Hot August Chill"... it was not very summer-like up in the mountains. We had a great camp site that backed up to a creek and shaded by huge redwood and pine trees. While sitting around the camp fire we received frequent visits from squirrels and chipmunks much to the amusement of the boys. Another favorite was the bedtime story by flashlight inside the tent. We took the scenic route back over the Donner Pass from where there is a spectacular view of the 2.7 mile long Donner Lake below.

Camping

2010-08-18T20:30:00.001-07:00

We camped at Donner Lake, near Truckee, a couple of weekends ago. It was amazing to see how dirty Zack could get and loving every moment of it! Here he is, eating a lollipop and enjoying the afternoon. Aiden is in full "funny face" mode, every time we point a camera at him.

Beginning of August was a big transition for Zack. We continued the tradition of throwing the pacifier into the American River after the second birthday. Unfortunately, going cold-turkey with the pacifier coincided with Zack getting more teeth and it was rough couple of days. He did not want to nap and would eventually fall asleep in front of the TV....I thought we broke our good sleeper, but after a rough week, we are all good. Zack loves being a big boy, sleeping in his big boy bed and most importantly, napping each afternoon and sleeping through the night. I think we survived! At least he still has his blankets.

Zack turns 2!

2010-08-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

This year Zack's birthday coincided with an open water swim event in Santa Cruz that Christina took part in. So we took Zack on the road for his birthday! After a private birthday party at home on Wednesday evening, we headed to the Bay Area and stayed over at the Svendsens and Montoyas. Both families were very generous with the celebrations that they planned for Zack. Christina made a space shuttle and planet themed birthday cake that Zack was extremely pleased with. For many months Aiden has wanted a Star Wars light saber and we promised him that when Zack is 2 years old they can each get one. So now we have Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobe battling it out in the house.

On Saturday morning we headed to the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk with the Montoyas. While Christina was swimming we walked down the pier, saw the sea lions and played on the beach. After a lunch at the boardwalk we drove to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Fortunately both boys napped really well in the car, so by the time we arrived in Monterey they were rested. The aquarium is really amazing for the kids and both boys were in awe at the beautiful marine life displays and educational activities.

Camping in Bodega Bay

2010-07-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Svendsen's joined us for a beach camping trip. When we left home, it was 103F (40 C) and 2 1/2 hours later, it was a foggy 60 F (15 C). But that made perfect sandcastle building weather and it warmed up in the afternoon to a wonderful 80 F (27 C). The boys loved getting super sandy and then washing clean in the super cold water.
It was our first camping trip with both boys sleeping in the "big bed" and we all had a peaceful and cozy night.

Summer!

2010-07-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

Have fruit, will play!

Visit with the Griffins

2010-07-12T06:43:00.001-07:00

Doug, Heidi and their two boys visited us from Colorado this past weekend. We have not seen them in 18 months and it was great to catch up and see how our boys play together.

The weather was great and we played in the pool for two days.

Visiting with friends

2010-07-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

It was like old times, visiting with our neighbours in Mountain View this past weekend. The Peikert's are visiting from Atlanta, GA and we stayed at the Pollock's new home in Mountain View and spend time with little 2 month old Zoe. Aiden and Clara are just as cute a couple as they were 18 months ago and it was wonderful to meet little 4 month old Lucy. We were able to swim at our old apartment complex and the boys are really becoming little fish in the water.
Aiden was super impressed that Andrew had a Wii and he did not want to leave on Sunday. I think playing video games trumps everything for him.

Toy Story 3!

2010-06-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

We had our first movie experience as a family today. We took both boys to see Toy Story 3. We were a little unsure if Zack will be able to sit through the entire show seeing that he is no where near the TV junkie his brother is. He totally surprised us. He got antsy twice, where I took him outside thinking we will just play outside until the movie is over. Once we got outside the theater he insisted on going back and then would be happy for another 30 min or so.

I thought it was a great story, just as good as the previous two - the scary bits did not seem to bother the boys. Aiden kept talking about Andy being a big boy and Zack loved the garbage truck...go figure!

Sonoma Weekend

2010-06-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

The Harvetts & Montoyas enjoyed an active weekend in Sonoma wine country. We rented a nice house on a farm just outside Sebastopol and on Saturday morning enjoyed a tour of the farm, it's horses, chickens (whose eggs we had for breakfast), goats, vegetable gardens, etc. We were even treated to some ice cream made from the goats' milk.

On Saturday afternoon the dads and big boys went to Infineon Raceway for some NASCAR racing action. We watched a 64-lap race, and Aiden & Josh seemed to have longer attention spans than last year... they could sit still for about 3 laps at a time ;-)

On Sunday morning we visited a few wineries and fortunately the ones we picked had decent dirt, rocks, bugs and wine making implements that kept the kids occupied and out of trouble. On our way home we decided that now would be a good time to transition Zack from his crib into his big-boy-bed, especially since we are expecting quite a few visitors and will go camping a lot this summer. As I write this blog post Zack is soundly asleep in his own bed for the first time. His fathers day gift to me!

Daddy does Mount Whitney

2010-06-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

I left the boys alone with mommy for 5 days as I took to the Sierra Nevadas to attempt the summit of Mount Whitney - the highest mountain peak in the USA excluding Alaska. There are many more photos available on Facebook. Aiden & Zack were very glad to see me come home and they greeted me in the garage with the question "what toys did you bring us from Mount Whitney?" Well, I brought them each a rock, a "spork", and a souvenir Mt Whitney T-shirt. They seemed to approve of the gifts ;-)

Zack is beginning to show more interest in watching TV and we caught them once holding hands while watching Curious George.

Summer!

2010-06-06T13:07:00.001-07:00

We visited the Sacramento Zoo for the first time this weekend. The boys loved the chimpanzees, beautiful birds and the reptile house. Aiden has discovered the wonders of maps after our visit to Discovery Kingdom last weekend. He can spend hours looking at the maps of the places we visited and rides we went on. The Sacramento Zoo map has pictures of each animal you see, as you move through the zoo...which makes it even better than the Discovery Kingdom map. :)

Zack has developed a strong opinion about the shirts he and his brother wears. It has come to the point where Aiden needs to get dressed first, so Zack can decide which shirt he wants to wear!

Memorial Day weekend

2010-05-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of the Memorial Day long weekend and are thankful for the warm, sunny weather we are having. It seems that summer is finally here!

The boys discovered a big sand hill at a park close to us, that made for hours of dirty play! My little monkeys!

We visited Discovery Kingdom again, making the most of the season pass and warm weather. The theme for this visit was the ocean because all Aiden wanted to do is look at the dolphins and sharks. Aiden keeps talking about his pet shark and wanting to be a scuba diver.

This morning we had a picnic breakfast at Folsom Lake - what a beautiful day!

Weekend Warriors

2010-05-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's been unseasonally cold here in Northern California lately, but fortunately we had a sunny weekend with no rain. So we could get out! Aiden finished his first year of pre-school on Friday and had a nice birthday party for one of his class mates on Saturday at Tricks, the local kids' gym. We had some friends over for dinner in part to celebrate Christina's birthday on the 24th. Gavin and the kids got to enjoy the warm water in the spa. One big milestone we reached on Sunday was that Zack had his first nap in a big boy bed! Sunday morning was very busy so he literally walked himself up to bed by himself about an hour earlier than normal. The cute photo of the boys at the computer is of them watching a Blue Angels video on YouTube while flying their own jets.

Tricks gymnastics

2010-05-16T22:59:00.001-07:00

We signed the boys up at a gymnastics center and they totally love it. The best part is that they have class at the same time, in different parts of the gym. Aiden is old enough to attend class by himself, but I have to be with Zack. At least I can watch what Aiden is learning, while Zack and I play on our side. Aiden is very impressed that he can learn "tricks" at a placed called Tricks!

Working in the garden

2010-05-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

It was again a gorgeous spring Saturday ahead of the rain which will be arriving tomorrow. We spent the morning in the backyard, with our helpers. Aiden got his shirt wet, while "shooting" the leaves and immediately Zack insisted to take his shirt off as well. He does not miss a beat, when it comes to his big brother!

Learning new skills...

2010-04-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning started early as both boys were up by 6am. We headed to the park for a bagel breakfast-picnic after which Aiden officially got the art of bicycle peddling down! He was a super star and now knows how to peddle, turn left, right and brake. Zack has a new "Safety Seal" swimming vest. We've tried at least half a dozen swim aids for toddlers, and have finally found one that seems to work. Zacky seems to enjoy swimming just as much as his brother. In-between all the activities we also finished two minor projects around the house: We converted a neglected flower bed into a vegetable garden that Christina now has planted with tomatoes, strawberries, carrots, onions etc. The boys helped a lot and Zack's favorite part of gardening is finding earth worms... meet Bob & Otto! We also converted the attic/crawl space that leads off of Aiden's room into a "Space Station" We'll try to take some pictures of it soon.

Folsom Lake rising!

2010-04-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

At this time of year the rain season comes to a close and the snow in the Sierras starts to melt. We've had above-average rainfall this past winter and it all points to Folsom Lake (5 minutes from our house) reaching 100% again this year. On Saturday we went to the water-filled parking lot at Brown's Ravine to enjoy the lake for the first time this Spring. We went back on Sunday and the water level had risen 3 parking spaces in 24 hours. The water is still very chilly, but it did not stop the boys from enjoying it.

Fairytale Town

2010-04-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

The weather in Northern California was absolutely gorgeous this past weekend and we made full use of it. On Saturday morning we took the boys to Fairytale Town in Sacramento. It's an amasingly cool place for kids and adults. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful trees and landscaping. Despite there being hundreds of kids running around it offered a quiet and serene start to our weekend. The kids were ready to go home long before mom & dad were.

Soccer World Cup

2010-04-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Gavin bought a soccer World Cup shirt at a local soccer store, and although I think it is a bit bright, it is exciting to have one.

Zack keeps us smiling. He is usually in a world of his own, either moving the garden furniture around the back yard, throwing a ball in the air to play catch with himself or building a toy mountain inside the toy chest.

Visit to Discovery Kingdom

2010-04-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

We joined Gus and Grant at Discovery Kingdom, to celebrate Grant's 4th birthday. We have been there many times before and until today, the focus has been on looking at all the wonderful animals. But today, it was all about the rides! They have enough children's rides to keep all three boys very happy and busy although we had a few tears when Zack was too short to join in the fun a few times!

Open water swim

2010-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to swim a few open water swims this year. The last one I swam was about 20 years ago! The season opener was yesterday with the Ice Breaker swim in the Folsom Dam. The water was about 55F (12C) and although my wetsuit helped, my face and feet were freezing! It was fun to have the boys join me in my early morning adventure.

Aiden's cast came off on Wednesday. It was only scheduled to be removed on Thursday, but he dropped his cast in the bathtub on Tuesday evening! We are all every happy that his leg has healed so well although he is still limping a bit. The muscles should be back to normal in a week or so.

Spring Break!

2010-04-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Lambert's visited us from Chicago over Spring Break and Easter. It was wonderful to see them again and watch how our kids enjoy each other's company. Ryan took fabulous photos of my boys giving poor little Etienne way too much love, for any 5 month old to endure...
We had a fun craft morning, decorating Easter eggs and painting egg carton worms. Zack impressed me with his skills as a painter while Aiden was much more focused on painting race tracks than painting worms!

Cezanne joined us at the local Easter Egg hunt and the kids were very impressed with all the candy they collected. It is not that clear on the photo, but Zack's entire mouth was blue from the blue candy he was eating.

And what visit from fellow South African's would be complete without a BBQ in the rain? At least the ribs were worth it!

Life continues...broken leg and all

2010-03-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Aiden is so mobile on his broken leg that we have to tape up the part he walks on because the cast is breaking up! He wears a sock when we go out to keep it dry and his toes semi-clean. 10 days to go!

We had a Easter egg hunt at our gym on Saturday. Zack picked up two and then he was done. He only later realized that there are treats inside!

4 US Citizens

2010-03-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

This week Mom & Dad became US Citizens... 11 years from when we first moved to California. We are very happy to finally join our sons as dual US/SA citizens. It was a very formal and memorable ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium in downtown Sacramento. In total there were 808 people being sworn in as US citizens. India, the Philippines and Mexico had the largest representation with only 2 other South Africans present.

Aiden is doing very well with his broken leg. Since he is allowed to walk on it, he is very mobile except when he chooses not to be. He can go to the bathroom by himself, climb stairs and even play on the slide at the playground. He returned to school on Friday, but leaves a little early since they do not want him playing outside with all the other kids until his cast comes off.

Christina's high school friend, Karen Hoffman, visited with us this weekend from London and it was very nice to catch up with her again.

Broken leg!

2010-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Aiden was showing Dad how to jump off "the wall" (2.5ft high) and twist at the same time... Well that cool trick ended in a trip to the emergency room! He hurt his leg on Sunday afternoon, there was no swelling or bruising, just Aiden refusing to walk on it. We thought we will give it some time to heal by itself.
Monday: Dad took Aiden to emergency care where the x-rays showed a fracture in his tibia. Aiden was in good spirits and talked the doctors' and nurses' heads off. After getting a temporary splint he was able to pick out a new car following his hospital visit!
Tuesday: Zack and Mom took Aiden to the orthopedic surgeon and after 3 hours of mostly waiting and filling out paperwork, our little patient has a pretty blue full-leg cast. The boys were super stars, being extremely patient and well behaved, although I always wonder if they will help you sooner if your kids are screaming...
Aiden's leg is considered a "toddler's fraction" and they expect it to heal in 3-4 weeks. He will be able to walk with the cast, so he will probably go to school again on Friday. Hopefully he will have figured out going to the bathroom by himself by then. The cast has to stay dry, which will make for interesting bath times!

Adventure!

2010-03-07T20:57:00.001-08:00

We took the boys exploring in an open field near our house and it provided hours of playing in the dirt, jumping over trenches and racing cars.

Everything is green, the spring blossoms are in full bloom and we are loving the sunshine.

It feels like spring is in the air!

2010-02-14T19:40:00.001-08:00

We had a gorgeous spring weekend and spent most of it outside We made the most of the the soft soil after all the rain we had, and planted beautiful flowering plants. We also dusted off the hot tub and played in the water on both days. It is really still too cold to swim, but the sunshine made us forget that! We played at the park, BBQ'd and hiked at Folsom Lake...just a perfect weekend. We also had two very tired boys on Sunday evening, which made for an early evening and happy parents. :)

Growing boys.

2010-02-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

The doctor is very happy with Zack's 18 month appointment. He weighs 22 lbs (10 kg) and is 33 inches (84 cm) tall, which makes him slightly smaller than Aiden at this age. But that is what to get when you are a picky eater!

Aiden is learning about Africa at preschool at the moment and they are learning to count to 10 in Swahili. His teacher mentioned on Friday that he is the only one in the class who can do that! Making us very proud parents! :)

18 months!

2010-02-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

My little baby is 18 months already and I have to face the fact that he is no longer a baby! He is talking up a storm, are always on the move and love cars and jets. :) He is still a picky eater unlike his brother, but I discovered that I can get him to eat all kinds of veggies, when baked into muffins! We are going to his 18 month doctor's visit on Friday and will write again with all the stats.

Fun in the snow

2010-01-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

The last week of the vacation was spent in South Lake Tahoe. The weather was perfect, with clear sunny days in the beginning of the week and fresh powder the last two days. We took the boys tubing with us. My heart raced after every run because that tube really picked up speed going down the slope, but when we came to a stop, Aiden would yell: Again!!!! Zack just smiled all the way down. We also signed Aiden up for a morning of ski school. He did really well and kept his balance every time. But he was more impressed with his ski goggles and ski's than the actual skiing.

Visit with family

2010-01-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister-in-law joined the family gathering over New Year's. We spent an afternoon in San Francisco, took them to a Sacramento Kings basketball game, had a fantastic wine tasting trip in Napa and generally ate to much.

All in all, a perfect vacation.

Christmas

2009-12-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful few days over Christmas. My parents are in town and the boys love having them around. Airplanes, specifically jets and space shuttles, were the winning gifts from Santa. It is so sweet to see how Zack watches Aiden play with the planes and then copy every sound and move.

Apple Hill

2009-12-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic weekend with friends visiting from Vancouver, Canada. We spent Saturday morning in Apple Hill, enjoying the local apple pie and wine. The boys thought this was the ultimate adventure because there was something fun to climb on or play with at each stop.

Winter is here!

2009-12-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

We decorated our Christmas tree this weekend and woke up this morning with a dusting of snow on the ground. It is the first time in 8 years the snow level has been this low, so it is causing a lot of excitement.

Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend. The Rubows prepared a feast and we were thankful to be able to spend the day with good friends. We did a little bit of shopping on Black Friday, which came down to me standing in line and the boys having a blast on the rides. Aiden has started to play educational computer games, and it is amazing to see what games are out there and how well Aiden can work the mouse-pad and navigate his way around. Zack will be 16 months old on Monday and his 8th tooth finally appeared.

Quiet weekend

2009-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

We had the Rubows and the Messers over for a quiet dinner on Saturday evening. It gets dark so early these days that the kids had fun playing with flashlights. When it was time for the grown-ups to eat we put a movie on - you can see who is the biggest TV watcher between those kids! Well, that bliss only lasted about 5 minutes then Zack started making trouble but it was sweet while it lasted.

The circle of life

2009-11-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

The boys love Manty, our Praying mantis. We now also have crickets for Manty's dinner, and I am not sure which provides more entertainment: looking at the crickets in their box or watching Manty eat them. We also had quite a shock this week when we found out Manty is a girl and we are expecting about 40 babies in the spring! Congratulations are in order!

Ooooo - it's Halloween

2009-11-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

Finally, the day filled with bats, spiders, ghosts and candy arrived. Aiden has been asking to go trick or treating for the past month, so great was the excitement when we all got dressed in our costumes and went to the Rubows for a fun filled evening. Aiden was a spider, Zack a monkey, Dad a Top Gun figher pilot and Mommy wore a bat shirt. Nate made his famous chilly and we had a feast at the Rubow house before we headed out into the night to go and collect as much candy as a 3-year old can carry.

Apple Hill and a new pet

2009-10-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Montoyas visited us this weekend and we went to Apple Hill to pick out our Halloween pumpkin and eat yummy apple pie. Aiden is really excited about Halloween this year and he could not wait to carve his Jack O' Lantern with dad. We also found a praying mantis and decided that he should stay. We bought a container with crickets for Manti and both boys love feeding time. Manti loves his crickets...I guess it is all educational...but I still cannot believe we now have a pet insect!

Lots of cars

2009-10-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

It is wonderful to see how Aiden and Zack are starting to play together. Zack tries his best to keep up and it is so sweet to see how he tries to copy everything Aiden does. Moments like these usually end in tears caused by either party...but that is boys! Gavin and Aiden went to a high school football game on Friday night. They both had lots of fun, although Aiden knocked his chin on cement at the game, but he was very proud of his "sports" injury.

Around the house

2009-10-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

We had a lazy weekend at home, still recovering from our home-improvement marathon of the past couple of weeks. We cleaned up, hanged our pictures back on the walls and Gavin exchanged the light above the dining room table. The boys kept themselves busy and mostly out of trouble.

Home improvement weekend

2009-10-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend with putting down wood flooring and painting our living room. Our friend Geoff and his little girl, Haley, came to help on Saturday morning. With all the help, we had the floor done in 4 hours and it looks fabulous. I painted the walls very light green, with a contrasting wall of a darker, earthier green. We are exhausted but very satisfied and I am totally in love with our new room.

Discovery Kingdom

2009-09-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to Discovery Kingdom on Sunday. It was super busy and really hot but the boys loved it. The moment Zack saw the elephants, he trumpeted just like one and he spent the entire dolphin show pointing and talking up a storm. Aiden just loved the shark tank and the walrus. Aiden is also old enough now to realize there is a world of rides just waiting to be discovered.

Point Reyes Camping Weekend

2009-09-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

We took the boys camping one last time before summer bids us farewell. This time we headed West and camped in the Samuel P Taylor State Park. The park has beautiful coastal redwoods, creeks and wildlife (we saw deer, raccoons & chipmunks) and we took a short hike through the forest and along a creek. On Saturday we drove to the Point Reyes Lighthouse and hiked down all 308 stairs to the very end of the point. Aiden managed to hike 130 of the stairs back up before daddy had to carry him... not bad for a 3-year old. After the lighthouse we went to Point Reyes' North Beach - it wasn't exactly beach weather, but definitely pleasant enough that we could enjoy the ocean. This was Zack's first ever walk on a beach and he seemed to like it a lot. On our way out of the Point Reyes area we stopped for lunch and ice cream at a tiny village called Inverness. Our lunch table overlooked Tomales Bay and an old shipwreck.

Aiden is 3!

2009-09-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

We had a fun filled weekend, celebrating our big boy's birthday. We played in the pool, had a great South African braai and the show stopper (even if I have to say so myself) was Aiden's birtday cake - a stegasaurus dinosaur. Aiden really went to town with the ice cream and decided that 3-year olds are allowed to eat ice cream with their hands. Well, it was his special day!

School and the end of summer

2009-09-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Aiden's first day of school is tomorrow, but he had a one-on-one hour at the school this past Wednesday, where he met his new teachers and had the opportunity to spend some time in the classroom.

The boys usually insist on eating lunch outside and with the wonderful weather we are having, I am only to happy to oblige.

Labor Day Weekend '09

2009-09-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

It is Labor Day in the US which means a 3-day weekend. We used most of it to finish up our kitchen cabinet repainting project, but the weather is still awesome so we went to Granite Bay on Folsom Lake for a late afternoon braai yesterday. The rest of the weekend we did things normal Americans that live in the suburbs do... went to the park, went shopping, etc. Christina is also starting preparations for Aiden's birthday party and first day of pre-school next week. Aiden is very excited on both fronts. His favorite puzzle is one of the solar system and he can name all the planets in order. I wonder if they'll be able to teach my bright young boy anything at school ;-) Zack is more and more mobile every day... and more and more cute & naughty too.

Last days of summer

2009-08-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

A special treat for Aiden, is a visit to the local pet store to look at the fish. Zack has been there many times before, but this is the first time he is walking and not just bobbing along in the baby carrier. It was fun to see how much he enjoyed looking at the fish and following his brother from tank to tank.

Aiden seems to be officially potty trained, with him running to the bathroom whenever he needs to. My big boy is also starting school next week, with a one-on-one session with his teacher and then class starting on the 14th. He still loves his cars, but dinosaurs are a close second these days.

Camping at Jenkinson Lake

2009-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

We went camping with friends at Jenkinson Lake just outside Pollock Pines (45 minutes from home) this weekend. It was an exhausting experience with a one-year-old and a three-year-old, but worth it! The lake is beautiful and we had a really nice camp site. On Saturday we got to go out on Brian & Melissa Messer's boat - a real treat especially for Aiden. He learned his new favorite word "wipeout" - in reference to daddy's attempt at wakeboarding. I think this weekend was also the dirtiest either Aiden or Zack had ever been in their lives, what with playing in the dirt and no bath for two full days. We did take them both for a brief swim in the lake just to wash off the top layer of dirt. It was also the first time we used our new family tent and it worked out great. It even got rained on for about 45 minutes early Sunday morning... very unusual for August in California.

Fun in the sun

2009-08-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our days are pretty much the same every day....we play until we get hungry and then we play until bedtime. We all sleep like logs at night (and not little babies!)

A new water park opened about a month ago, so we are spending quality time there at the moment.

Hot summer days

2009-08-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of another heat wave, with temperatures in the high 90's (37 C) and low 100's (39 C) for the past week. That means mornings at the different water parks in the area and afternoons swimming with dad. Life is good!

Little monkey!

2009-08-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Now that Zack is walking, he is trying his best to keep up with his brother. He is still not very stable on his feet, but he will try and climb on everything he sees. He keeps me busy! We are planning two camping weekends this summer and decided it's time to upgrade our little three-man tent. Gavin and Aiden camped in our backyard on Saturday, to give the new tent a test run.

Birthday party

2009-08-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

It was Zack's birthday party on Saturday. I made a spider cake, much to Aiden's delight, with plenty of candles to blow out. It was fun to have so many of Zack's friends share in the celebration.
We served hot-dog spiders as a snack, and I promised to include the link to the recipe....have fun making these.

Happy birthday, Zack!

2009-07-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

It was Zack's birthday yesterday and we had a fun day, celebrating as a family. Aiden helped me wrap Zack's gift and really enjoyed opening it up again. Such a helpful brother! We blew out candles, over and over again, ate ice cream and played in the sprinklers.

Walking!

2009-07-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Zack reached an exciting milestone this past week - he started to walk on 21 July. He has been standing and giving one step for about two weeks, but on Tuesday he took 6 steps, stopped and walked another 3 steps! He definitely still prefers crawling but it's fun to see his confidence growing each day. With summer in full swing, we are having fun in the pool and at the water parks. Aiden is turning into a real little fish and loves to dive in the water and is doing well with doggie paddle.

Away with the wild hair!

2009-07-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Daddy decided that enough is enough with wild hair and gave Zack his first haircut today. Compared to Aiden, where a hair cut always includes a bribe with a Nascar car...this was quick and easy. I think he looks a little bit older but just as handsome as ever!

Water park fun

2009-07-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

We discovered a water park close to our house and we go about every second day, it is so much fun. It has a big waterfall and this little creek, where you can float stuff down stream. And the highlight for Aiden is all the boulders he can climb on and of course, jump off!

Daddy does Half Dome

2009-07-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took a break from the kids and got to spend a memorable weekend with 8 other thirty-something guys in Yosemite. We camped at Upper Pines in Yosemite Valley and hiked from the valley floor up to Half dome and back in a single day - 12 1/2 hours! Half Dome is known as Yosemite's "most demanding day hike", and I wholeheartedly agree. The funnest part of the hike are the infamous Half Dome cables that offer assistance with the last 400 feet. Fortunately nobody got seriously hurt, although we all felt our age the next day. I rank this hike up there with the Otter Trail and Table Mountain in South Africa... absolutely worth doing! There are some more photos in my Facebook album.

It is hot!

2009-06-29T14:16:00.001-07:00

Gavin had a wonderful weekend in Yosemite, hiking Half Dome with his buddies. It took them 12 hours, there and back, but I'll let him tell the story in a later post.
I had a fun weekend with my boys, trying to stay cool. It was 105 F (40 C) and 107 F (42 C) on Saturday and Sunday. I took my two superheroes to the park, early on Saturday morning but even by 10:30 am, it was too hot to play outside. We had to play indoors for most of the weekend but that did not stop the fun!

Fathers Day Weekend

2009-06-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I took some time off last week and was able to spend four exciting days with my family. On Wednesday night Aiden and I camped in our back yard. He slept better and longer than he usually does in his bed! On Thursday we went to see "UP" at the movies and it is a great movie for kids and adults. Thursday afternoon we went to the El Dorado County Fair in Placerville. Aiden enjoyed seeing and touching all the farm animals. The sheep scared Zack somewhat.

We then headed to Sonoma and met up with the Montoyas at a very nice house that they rented for the weekend. Friday James and I took Josh and Aiden to Infineon Raceway to watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice rounds. This was a dream come true for Aiden as he saw all his "heros" like Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmy Johnson, and Juan Pablo Montoya (no relation to James and Josh). The cars were loud, but the boys really enjoyed the experience. Both ended up with Tony Stewart "Old Spice" t-shirts which they wore proudly, even though Tony only came in second.

On Saturday afternoon the adults got to do some wine tasting as we tag-teamed watching the kids. Sunday morning we took the kids to Train Town in Sonoma - a really nice little place for young kids. There is a 20-minute train ride with a stop half-way at a miniature town with a petting zoo. We put Zack and Aiden in the miniature jail and they were a little worried for a while that we might leave them...

Playing outside

2009-06-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Aiden finished his swimming lessons this week. He loves being in the water, diving in and making a big splash. He is a long way from being able to swim or even being able to help himself if he would fall into the pool, but he is getting the idea of floating in the water and submerging his head. Those are the two major skills he had to master during the lessons and he did good!

Zack's 4th tooth appeared this week, which makes us all very happy.

With the beautiful, slightly cool, summer weather we are having we decided to give Aiden his birthday present a couple of months early, in order to make the most of the summer months learning to ride his bike. He has not mastered the pedaling motion but he loves sitting on his bike and steering while Mommy and Daddy pushes!

We had fun hiking at Folsom Lake this morning. Aiden is finally starting to wear a hat but Zack is still fighting his mom on that. It's a good thing we have sunscreen!

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Aiden had four days of swimming lessons this past week, followed by four more this coming week. He is enjoying every moment of it and even insists on wearing the goggles he got from his swim coach around the house sometimes. And then he says "Mommy too!" and Christina is happy to oblige. This morning Aiden and I went for a 2 mile hike along the east shore of Folsom Lake. He did great and walked all the way by himself. Zack is starting to show interest in books which is a nice break from the frantic chasing around that we've been doing since he started crawling. All is well on the home front!

Snow cone, anyone?

2009-05-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

We had a quiet weekend at home and just enjoyed the wonderful summer weather. We took the boys to Folsom lake and had our very first snow cone experience. A huge hit!

We also celebrated Zack's 10 month birthday and we are hoping the appearance of tooth number 4 in the near future will put Zack in a better mood! We have a grumpy little fellow at the moment. That snow cone definitely made him and his gums happy.

Playing with friends

2009-05-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Memorial Day weekend and the best part was seeing how well the boys are starting to play with friends. Zack is doing his best to keep up!

Because this weekend is all about celebrating the start of summer (and my birthday) we spent a lot of time outside. We had the Rubows over for a BBQ on Thursday evening. Sully and Aiden share a love for cars and everything with wheels.

The Svendsens came up for a overnight visit on Saturday and it was great to see little Emily. Grant is such a great big brother and had plenty of patience to play with Zack as well.

We were able to get together with the Sinclair-Lees on Saturday evening for a BBQ at Folsom Lake. On the photo here, Tim thought that Jonas had to be on the "moms-with-babies" photo as well, even though Jonas was on Tim's back.

We had our final BBQ of the weekend on Monday evening, with fellow South Africans we met at the Run in Nature race we did a couple of weekends ago.

The rest of the summer is going to be a blast, if this weekend is anything to go by!

Tooth number 3

2009-05-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

Zack's third tooth, top right, popped out yesterday...they seem to be coming in fast and furious!