Rumblings in the Jungle

A favorite destination of the OCs is the Nature Reserve about 10 minutes from our house. There are a few hills which we've decided are actually mountains. There are a few parts where you have to climb up some pretty steep sections which Kaycee just loved. Once at the top you could see the whole area and probably our house if we knew exactly where to look. It was lovely. We took some pictures at the top and saved some mountain rocks to prove we'd done it. So if you don't believe me I'll show you my rock! :P



Kaycee and I with Jamie (who we all call Bobby because... well, I'm not actually sure why.)












My Baby charted the path up the mountain and we all wrote our names on the sign post. One day when we're really old we'd be able to come up and see it except that we'd be really old and therefore not able to survive a rigorous climb. Shame.

Cape Town was the most unusual place I'd even been in Africa. I think because I've been to the jungle, up country, safaris, beaches and most landscapes here but never a port. This is a completely tourist, business port town with beautiful restaurants and boats with performers singing or dancing for the tourists. Very beautiful! Shame I was there for work but I'd like to go back someday for a vacation. Definitely a relaxing atmosphere. I took these pics walking around the waterfront, from the airplane and at the book fair.











Okay well this first one was taken driving...


Here's a funny white guy in tribal clothes reading his African children's story book to a school who came to the book fair.



My friend Herbert. :)

... I know , I know, it was yesterday. Still better late than never! Wishing all the best to an incredible artist and wonderful friend. May your days be filled with fulfillment in your place of service as well as, wine, women and song, happiness, health and wealth oh, and good food. :)

In his honor I'm posting some of my personal favorites...

I went to Cape Town for a 4 day International Book fair to market our Aurora products and meet marketing agents who want to work with us. Loads of fun and I'll add pic captions later. ;)

Smile, life is better!

Kaycee's cousin. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute. His proud daddy is in the background. That's such a cartoon face it's adorable!

We took the kids to see the senior belts grade for 2nd Dan and Sam and Ben's teacher did his exam for 4th Dan. He's the large guy flying through the air over the 4 guys! It's amazing how much he can jump! It was fun watching them punch and kick through up to 3 boards of wood. Thankfully at the end they all passed though the Korean Master Kim (coming up for 8th Dan) said they all need to be more fit and 100 push ups should be easy! It's was a fun change for the afternoon and the patterns they perform are quite beautiful like some kind of Tai chi dance.

I have to say I love trampolining! You can do all sorts of crazy stuff and it's aparently very good for you too... although if you're too crazy you could hurt yourself so those with heart conditions, vertigo, or hurt toes please consult your doctor before doing this or any other vigorous exercise. :D
I don't do the little rebounders as we don't have one but we do have a big one and there's nothing quite like being outdoors listening to music and looking out over the horizon while jumping up and down. Highly recommended!

Well, her teacher said she did very well but I don't hear the score until next week. Annoying people. Still, I was proud of her anyways and we celebrated with Pizza and hot chocolate!

After doing ballet for a few months now, Kaycee's finally up to her first exam which I must admit is far more tense for me than for her. It's on June 4th, and she just completed her mock exam which she managed much better than me. I so wanted to do it for her. Heh.
A dance shop donated all her ballet stuff as they are very particular with the color of leotard, type of shoe etc... I was very much relieved as it would have definitely been rather expensive. Actually 2 shops I asked both said yes so thankfully what one shop didn't have in stock the other will help with. The Lord is very good to me and she now has the most beautiful pink satin ballet shoes which make her look so graceful. It's fun to be a girl.

Kaycee is forever bringing home rocks from the garden that she digs up and finds attractive in a "eyes of love" sort of way. Usually it's quartz or a rock with a tiny resemblance of a possible non-grey like color.

I try to encourage her though as I can see it's a serious hobby and we have a large jar of such rocks on our shelf. Anyways, it paid off as her choices got slightly pickier and her eye for nice rocks got better. These are her latest finds. Pretty pretty huh?

Why we love children... and their take on everything important in life. :)


1) NUDITY
I was driving with my three young children one warm
summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead
of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I
was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old
shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't
wearing a seat belt!'


2) OPINIONS
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his
teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The
opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily
those of his parents.'


3) KETCHUP�
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the
jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked
her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy
can't come to the phone to talk to you right now.
She's hitting the bottle.'


4) MORE NUDITY�
A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in
the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room
burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and
running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement
and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever
seen a little boy before?'�

5) POLICE # 1�
While taking a routine vandalism report at an
elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl
about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform,
she asked, 'Are you a cop?' Yes,' I answered and
continued writing the report.' My mother said if I
ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that
right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,'
she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would
you please tie my shoe?'


6) POLICE # 2
It was the end of the day when I parked my police van
in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment,
my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little
boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back
there?' he asked.
'It sure is,' I replied.
Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the
back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'�

7) ELDERLY
While working for an organization that delivers
lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my
4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was
unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old
age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth
soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the
inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and
whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'

8) DRESS-UP
A little girl was watching her parents dress for a
party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she
warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.'
'And why not, darling?'
'You know that it always gives you a headache the next
morning.'

9) DEATH
While walking along the sidewalk in front of his
church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer
that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his
5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead
robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed,
they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then
dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the
deceased.
The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate
prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version
of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be
unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the
hole he goooes.' (I want this line used at my
funeral!)

10) SCHOOL
A little girl had just finished her first week of
school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her
mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't
let me talk!'

11) BIBLE
A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was
fascinated as he fingered through the old pages.
Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked
up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old
leaf that had been pressed in between the pages.
'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out.
'What have you got there, dear?'
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he
answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear.'