The Chicken Coop Cometh

Hi everyone ... Carl here, I am officially at the controls!!!!  This must be at least my second working on the blog here but first official one maybe ... heh heh heh ...

So here we are, 2nd day of our April vacation over and life is good - I am already sleeping at least 1 hour more than the normal school day ... ahhhhhhhhh .... today was spent mainly on lounging around the morning, going to Music Makers club with all the other moms and their kids, having a nice leisurely lunch back home, then playing with the kids all afternoon while Mommy worked on the beginnings of our chicken coop!  aaaaahhhhhhhh

Now the above, first pic was the nice one ... but here is the reality shot of what our after dinner before bath time is really all about ...

Hmmm ... this blogging is pretty easy ... now some shots of the chicken coop in progress this afternoon ...

Kaia with Moses and her tools ... ready to help

and by the way, the chicken coop is about to be assembled directly behind them in the corner of our yard

Here goes Mommy and Moses ... about an hour into the process I think here ... Go Mommy!

and here we are towards the end of the afternoon and how far we got today ... notice nice tin roof!

and here is the best shot of the last 24 hrs. ... Theo passed out on the hardwood floor last night as we watch a movie ... we are such good parents!

More soon as the chicken coop developeth!  :)  Bye!

Sports Day

 Yesterday was the last day before the break.  It was a sports day.  Kaia's class got to show off by kicking a ball around the cones but she was riddled with a case of stage fright.  You can see her teacher though, she is standing next to her in blue.  And Kaia came home with 3 pieces of candy so all-in-all the day was a huge success. Also worth sharing... she ate one piece of candy as a dessert for lunch and gave me the second.  She saved the 3rd for today and she broke it into 4 pieces so we could all share it.  She's my angel.

 Today we went up to This n That.  They were having a 30% off sale we couldn't miss.  They also have a swing set, trampoline, and a slide.  Don't know why we don't go more. We bought a Connect Four game, a Mancala game, a little ball globe so Kaia can see the world as a sphere, and a pair of jammie pants for me.  Unfortunately the sale was because they have to move locations.  Less than a year ago the family moved to this property and it is their home and their shop.  The landlord is doubling the rent and gave them 4 weeks notice.  So cruel. Hopefully that just means there is something even better in store for them.

 When we came home Theo joyfully got to work.  It's fair, Carl and I made dinner.

And Kaia also reaped the rewards of his energy spurt. 

Kaia's Portfolio

Today was Kaia's Parent Conference.  Nowadays they are called 'Student Led Conferences' and Kaia gets to show off all the stuff she has been doing in school.  They are doing a unit called 'Tell me a Story' and everything links to stories.  She made puppets of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and can act out the story, she designed a house for them to live in, yadda yadda.  Since she loves to read it has been a great time for her.

 This is what happens at the end of a long day when you fall asleep in the car if Daddy has to work in the evening. 

Meet Uncle Tom.

My dear and beloved little brother.  He is laughing because he has changed our summer plans for the gazillionth time today.  For all of you who are waiting patiently for our 'final dates' Uncle Tom apologizes profusely and sends his love, rainbows, and sunshine.

Spoon Fed

Theo learns a lot from watching his older sister.  If you ask him to brush his hair he will and he's pretty proud.

Kaia got her hair done today too.  It is finally getting thick enough to do nice french braids without tons of fly aways.  They are gorgeous! 

Kaia-ism

Today Kaia told me...

''When I grow older I won't go anywhere without you.''

''When I am a mum I will tie your bows for you.''

and no less than 5 minutes later... 

''When I grow older I won't need you for anything''

We moved our dining table to the porch a few months ago, best decision we have made in a while.  This is where we eat all our meals.

 Upon closer inspection Theo is a tad messy.  But he is full on into the 'I can eat by myself' phase.  We applaud his effort.  And since we have Laika we laugh at the result.

Cash n Carry

Sundays are the best.  Enjoyed the entire day with Daddy.  Relaxing, crafting, baking, shopping, movie night.  Plus I got to take a long long hot shower :)  Well deserved if I do say so myself.  

 Lots of smoothies now.  This is all we have left of all those banana bunches.  Contrary to popular belief... refrigerating bananas is just fine, they actually lasted best in there.  They obviously last longer in the freezer but are really only good for mushing after that.  Never thought we would plow through them so quickly, we are now frantically trying to ripen another bunch from the yard.

 Still rainy season.  Poor Theo has only Kaia's hand-me-down boots, he wears pink well.  Kaia's boots are covered in stickers.  Ho hum.  They actually looked very nice when she first applied them.

 Kaia painted a pet rock today.  She started anyway, never really finished.  I mixed pink and purple and they looked a lot alike.  So her pet rock just looks like a solid pinky purple rock.  

We have gotten into the Sunday shopping habit.  This is Cash n Carry.  We usually go here or to Pick n Pay down the street.  This is a shi-shi expat grocery.  You are looking at about 1/2 of the food section.  Grocery stores here are tiny but they manage to pack a surprisingly large selection (for the size of the store anyway).  I think we will all fall over in shock when we go home and into a proper grocery store again, let along a shopping center!

Crispy Fingers

Carl worked today.  Doesn't matter because after 3 more days we have a 20 day break :)

 After the morning rains the afternoon was gorgeous.  Theo loves to help Moses mow the lawn.  With all the rain and a fresh mow it looks like a golf coarse our there right now.

 Dearest Victoria, 

When you said we could borrow this toy for as long as we wanted I was so appreciative ( and should have taken your hint).  We have supplied him with fresh batteries and he is so much fun (driving me mad)!!  His arms don't wave about like you promised (threatened) but he sure can sing (and give headaches).  Some days I think those magic batteries will last forever (if I don't tear them out and hit myself over the head with them first).  We can't wait to see you again and return the favor (get even).

Love (bwahahaha),  PJ

While I was recovering from my pink frog headache I thought I would make some sugar syrup.  Unfortunately I had to remove it from the heat at just the right time.  I didn't have a candy thermometer so I had to play it by ear.  I missed and it was WAY too hard to use.  So I poured it into the garden in the backyard and buried it in the soil.  

Kaia saw me do it and knew it was sugar syrup.  We all know how she loves her sweets.  So I warned her that it was very hot and went inside.  I don't know what I was thinking but it honestly never occurred to me she would try to dig it up and eat it.  Gross.  She even managed to get a few stones and soil in her mouth before she felt the pain.  We have been nursing a burn on 4 fingertips all evening.  Poor girl. 

Zebra!

Same old.  Same old.
Grandma Love... today we turned the burp cloths you made into diaper wipes.  
Kids are really growing up. 
Kaia wants some matching face cloths. All I can think is ewwwww!

Here is an interesting link...

 In Ngorongoro Crater a zebra was attacked by a lion.  Click here for the surprise ending.