This is 51

What I wanted!

At the age of 51 we can poke fun at ourselves. I am constantly amazed at the number, because I don't feel it at all! I am supposed to be wise and have all the answers... Most of the times I think I do have all the answers! But I know for a fact that the more I think I do know all the answers, is that I don't! Life shows it to me in so many ways! Ha! Life! You are so funny!

Most of the times I ignore my own wisdom in any case. For example: Who wants to drink water, when you can drink wine? Or: Who wants to hike at Kloofendal, when you can stay in pajamas until 10 on a Saturday? Me, of course! Life is short! Ha!

I wanted to be in Mauritius last year on my 50th birthday, and this year we are doing the wedding! The engagement has come and now it is the preparations. It is also exciting, and we are looking forward to it.

Miss is 9 years old

Birthday Girl

We have a girl in our house that turned 9 yesterday! Miss is big. Very big! It's sad that's she's not the Little Miss any more, but we love the interesting dialogues we have with her now! She questions the world, and she's got some of her own answers! She has been living the 9 years old life for a year! (What happens when you only turn your age at the end of a year!) By all accounts this year went very well! We are very happy with her report card!

It's a 8!

Little Miss is 8 years old! Our girl is big with a big personality!

(She celebrated her birthday yesterday, and I would have liked to to put this up yesterday already. But we have been offline for a week! Thanks Telkom!  I have been struggling to get anything out!)

Such a short time to get here! And such a very long time! It has been an epic adventure for all involved! We have trekked the "mountains" of baby and toddler and school-going girl. Next year she will be going to standard three in a new school!

Even Little Miss had the following to say: "This year has gone by very quickly. Hands on face! I can't believe it!"


I asked her a few questions about this past year.


Best of 2016

Roller skates (She got roller skates this year, although she has been asking for them for years now. We took her roller skating yesterday, and she loved it!)


Worst of 2016

To give a speech to the whole class for the first time


Favourite food

Pasta


Favourite drink

Ice tea


Best friend

Alyssa


Best teacher

Teacher Salome (Teacher in Grade 1)


Best music

Flute


Favourite pet

Petite Peu


Best game

Gymnastics


Mom or Dad

Dad, because Dad does more of my stuff! (Take that, Mom!)


Best book

Die geheime bestanddeel in Petra Pienk se piesangbrood


Best day

My birthday! Because she is going to roller skate!


Best holiday

With the Voortrekkers


Best doll

Ken

Why don't you play more with him? Because I don't have somebody to play with


Best swim

The swimming pool at the beach


Best sport

Netball


Happy birthday, Little Miss!
Thanks for all the adventures!
We love you to the moon and back!

Questions to the 7 year old

Today is her birthday! 

We had a low-key celebration with the family over the weekend. This year we skipped the big party! Little Miss was totally okay with it, as long as her family was there and she could have a birthday cake!

We love the girl that she is! With all her opinionated and strong-willed ideas!
She makes our lives very interesting! And we love it!

We got her report card over the weekend, and she did great!
We are very proud of her, as well!

I asked her a few questions last night:

What was the best of being 6?

That I have a mother and father and a sister. And that I have a grandmother and a grandfather.

What was the best about school?

Sport: Gymnastics, tennis and ballet

What are you going to become when you grow up?

A veterinarian

Who was your best friend this year?

I don’t know, Mom! I haven’t made a choice yet!

What do you want to do next year that is going to be enjoyable?

Roller-skates

What was the best this weekend with your birthday?

My presents, and my birthday cake!

What are your best presents?

LEGO, jewellery making set and money

Why do you want to give money to your uncle? (Her grandmother received coins in a plastic bag which she got instructions to give to Little Miss' uncle.)

Because he always gives me money

What sports are you going to do?

Roller-skates

What are your plans for Gr 2?

I don’t know, Mother. Enough with the questions!

We love you, Little Miss!!

48 is not so bad!

Birthday flowers

It's a scary number, and of course I don't feel I am this age!

I love where I am in life now, and I am contented with who I am!
(Maybe that's why the extra weight is not shifting?)

This is a great age to be!
No more hang-ups, and wannabe's! 

I love where I am, and if I don't like it, I know that I can make a change!
It's all up to me!

I love my family. I have a great husband, and great daughters. They make living so much fun!

We are still dreaming about adventures together!

And in the meantime we are juggling the rat race (mostly the traffic) here in suburbia, and looking forward to each weekend with braais and family and friends! (And wine!)

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And as soon as I am beginning to feel a bit of blue, I remind myself that a 50-year old is playing the next Bond girl... (Is that not super fantastic??)


Thanks to all for my birthday wishes, and all the lovely presents.
(I would have definitely missed out if I skipped my birthday this year!)

Card from Little Miss (she spent a huge amount of time curling the ribbons
last night)

Cotton Road handbag.

And I got two vintage Cotton Road handbags which I had been eyeing for quite a while! They are super lovely! Thanks Hubby!

Feeding the elephants at Glen Afric

We have been looking forward to do this for quite a while. It is only on Sundays that they bring out the elephants at Glen Afric.

Hubby is celebrating his birthday this week, and we treated him with a Sunday buffet AND the elephants.
It was a treat for everybody! Little Missy loved it!

A cool down in the pool afterwards

It was a lovely Sunday!

Hope you had a great day as well?


Related post:

Glen Afric - a place to go for a bush outing

Twenty years!

To my beautiful daughter who celebrated her birthday this weekend!

I love the fact that you have become such a beautiful young lady, and that your inner beauty is reflected in your looks and in your daily being.

You have a compassion for life and people, and seem to draw people to you!
You are who I hoped and dreamed you would be, and become!

You are teaching me to be so much more, especially with regards the way you are treating the people in your life.

My wishes for you (at this stage in your life):
 - Lots of friends
 - Lots of fun times
 - Lots of love
 - Good study times (and marks)!

Photos by Blush Studio
(A photoshoot win, which was done on Saturday)

One month to the big 4

She is a month away from her fourth birthday.

This Mom has lost her budget mojo for party planning.
I don't think I ever had it, and day-dreaming (hers and mine) about kid's parties does not make it happen.
I think I will phone the teacher to take party packs to school before the end of the semester which happens within two weeks.
Watch this space! (Really!)

It does not make me feel better when I see all the blog posts about wonderful children's parties with wonderful themes...
My wish is to phone up a party person and say organise. I will pay! (I hope you hear me, Universe!!)

We are going to an athletics events at her school tonight, and we are looking forward to it! It seems it has generated a lot of excitement!

Some anecdotes of  recent times:

- I went to fetch the toddler the day before yesterday at school while they were busy reading a Christmas story to them. She was crying crocodile tears because she is "shy" for Christmas Father! (I have no idea what that means!)

- Last night we signed up at our local gym. I had the prerequisite that I would only sign up if she would be happy to stay in the kiddies section. She walked in there and did not want to go again! She loved it!
(So, no excuses for me!)

- We were at our local Dischem the other day, and Mieka told me that one of her friends at school has a roll-on, and she wanted one as well. As I don't like all the baddies in the roll-ones, I sold her on a spray which I hoped we could convince her to only spray on her clothes. But she is adamant that it should go on her "kieliebakke" (roughly translated: "tickle armpits"). It is also a word we do not use. So the next morning I had to help her lift up her clothes to spray it on, and when she got to school her father had to pray it on again! Luckily the novelty wore off after a day...


The weekend is upon us!
Off to the athletics!

Enjoy yours!