The Adventures of the Garden Sprites

I think its safe to say that in the almost three years since I last posted life happened while we were making other plans. And the best thing was the addition of another little girl. Kristen popped into our life with a bang and turned our world upside down. She has been such a joy to the whole family and is doted on by both her older sisters to such an extent that she may be quite spoilt. She has also changed my mothering skills as everything I learnt with her sisters went out the window with her. She twice gave us a scare before she was even born and then proceeded to teethe at the early age of 3 months, eating lumpy food from early on and guzzle down a Marie Biscuit In a few chomps. What they say about a third child raising themselves is definitely true and having two older sisters makes growing up a breeze. Having grown up with brothers and mostly male cousins it seemed written in the stars that I became so lucky as to have been given these three beautiful daughters to raise. Espe...

Winter has been a long time in coming but it has hit Bloemfontein with a BANG! Aside from the cold, it has been raining on and off since yesterday and all the kids want is snow! Well, today we came pretty close! I think it was perhaps more sleet and ice rain than snow but it had the same reaction on the kids. They begged to go out even though its about 4 degrees outside and the sleet/ice rain was still coming down. It would be easy for me to lock the door and refuse to let them go out but I remember being 7 and walking barefoot in the snow on the way back from the Cape one July holiday and what kind of mother would I be if I was more worried about them getting wet and cold than I was about them experiencing nature at its best? Well, although instinct was telling me to protect my young, the little girl part was saying, "lets go kids"! And so we ended up outside, freezing cold but happy!

Mackenzie is turning SIX! I cannot believe another year has passed and I have an almost 6 year old big girl. Peter is flying to Canada and will be missing the actual birthday so we had a party a little earlier so Daddy could be there. A good time was had by all and the only things missing were the babyhood friends we left behind in Pretoria. So this is a big thank you to all Mackenzie's Grade R friends and a big we missed you to our old friends! Now us mommy's often moan about the fact that our kids just grow up so fast but when you are a little kid, the year between birthdays seems to take forever. I remember always wanting my birthday to come so I could be another year older but now, from the wise distance of being a mommy myself, I wish I hadn't grown up so fast. Mackenzie and Reagan, from your wise mommy, don't wish to be bigger, enjoy being able to jump all day on the jumping castle, eat as much cake as you can and laugh with all your friends at every single one ...

And so the second day of the beginning of Mackenzie's school career has passed... I took her to her classroom yesterday and as I desperately tried not to shed a tear she walked in, said hello to her teacher, kissed me goodbye and with a wave over her shoulder she was gone. My baby has long since gone but I felt the passing so strongly yesterday that it was almost frightening in its intensity. I made it all the way to the car and had my cry! When I picked her up she was smiling from ear to ear and couldn't wait to go back again today. She seems to be thriving in her new environment and what more can we moms hope for than that, a happy child definitely makes a happy mom!

Mackenzie - 3 weeks old For the past 4 months, all we've been talking about is big school for Mackenzie! And finally the big day has arrived. Tomorrow she'll be getting dressed in her Eunice school uniform and starting the first day of her school career. I am of mixed emotions as I am so proud of her yet I am so sad that my baby is so big already. I remember so clearly the day she was born, it could have been yesterday. I remember looking down at her after she had been bathed and was lying all wrapped up like a little catepillar and wondering how it was possible that I had given birth to this beautiful dainty little scrap of perfection! It was true and she was mine to take home and love and cherish and prepare for the big world she will one day step into. There is a saying that says your children are only lent to you and I cant help thinking that tomorrow she will be taking another step into the unknown, the place where we hope we have given them the tools with which to sur...

The kids were up before the sun just about and I kept thinking, this is payback for all the times I had my folks sitting around the lounge all bleary eyed while my brothers and I opened all that Father Christmas had delivererd! Mackenzie couldn't believe her eyes when she spied the eaten mince pies and the letter that was left addressed to her and Reagan! She kept asking how did Father Christmas know all these things! Simple, its magic! So here we are, our first Christmas in our new house! Merry Christmas to all our friends and family and may we all be as happy as we are today and think back on the magical feeling we get from watching excitement light a childs face, from having family who care and friends who will always be there...