Lukey! Lukey!

That's what I hear every now and then from Jessica. I've only once found her leaning on his chest peering down at him and saying "Lukey" (sorry Luke, but it happens to be true - I did remove her fast and your chest does not look like it caved in??)

Jessica just woke up as I was about to start blogging, so now she is sitting on my lap yelling out "MORE" and "MORE PINGO" while I attempt to capture the mushy thoughts I had with Luke on my lap smiling at me this afternoon. Pingu being a BBC penguin feature that we watch on YouTube when I need a break. Oh dear, tears now because I won't let her play the mouse pointer... Adam is in now to find out what the squawk was and just asked me which mouse I was talking about. Er, that's because we have a little grey creature sliding soundlessly behind the cupboard, making reckless runs across the kitchen and skidding across the bedroom carpet. I think it's also doing pitter-patter noises at night in the roof.

Am I ever going to get this blog down and add some photos after about 2 months of promising to do it?

Er, I give up for now!

Some thoughts from a parenting course we are doing

Very few of us will be remembered in the annals of history when we die, although we'll be remembered by friends and family. So, remember that God is the God of the mundane, and the small things. Each small moment is important.

Influence is the by-product of relationship. Relationship is spelt T-I-M-E. And kids are into quantity time, not quality time. Drop what you need to in order to have time with your kids. At the end of the day, building a fortune to buy a Ferrari is not as important as what you build into your child's life.

Five questions that will help you and your kids understand their own/your heart and thus their/your reactions. Ask them/yourself these questions wherever and whenever possible:
1. What was going on?
2. What were you thinking and feeling?
3. What did you do in response?
4. Why did you do it?
5. What was the result?

"Back" on his feet again (sortof)

Hellos one and all. The deep deep hole in communications has been due to various illnesses. After my last post we had a quiet few days of enjoyment and getting used to life, and then it hit.

Well, my parents came to visit (that's NOT the hit) and on the Saturday afternoon they arrived, Jessica started a little temperature. Which, by the next morning, became a hectic temperature. Very hectic. And so began a week of 40'C, cold baths, limp non-eating little girl, visits to the GP, a visit to the Paed, visits to the Pharmacy, snotty nose, crying at night, tag-teaming with bedside visits in the wee-wee hours. It finally came to a happier Jessica end the afternoon that my folks flew home - what heroes they were with pizza take-out, driving me around, watching over Jessica and giving Luke lots of cuddles. And how crazy that it all had to happen the week that they were here. No visits to the beach or World of Birds. Sigh.

Then it sneaked up on us again. Jessica had 3 days of feeling great when Adam went down hard. Literally. After gardening with Jessica late on Sunday afternoon after we dropped the folks at the airport, he pulled a muscle in his back. It was sore, but survivable. Not by Thursday though - which is when he couldn't move. And he picked up some kind of flu virus. And let's not forget the conjunctivitus (pink eye) that has had him looking like a bit of a cyclops as he peered up at me from the bed. Five days down - that could make a movie title??!!

But yay, today he was up, and there is the sound of splashing, aeroplanes, "beep beep" and "squeak-squish-squa-plash" from the bathroom again. YAY! Flippin' HOO-ray! And lots of "thank yous" to the Lord for health! I've really come to realise how wonderful a healthy body is, and what an impact on our lives it has when we are sick. And what a large part in the parenting team thing that Adam plays. Jessica really missed him and is so happy right now to have her daddy back - "giggle giggle WHERE? bang bang splaaaaashshshshsh giggle".

In the middle of all this, young Luke passed his 6-week medical with flying colours, has started smiling (no, it's not wind! all you cynical people) and is trying out his tongue and making cute noises at us. What a boy! Now if he could go back to that nice long sleep that was having between 8pm and 2am I would be thrilled. He seems to be having a growth spurt (or something) 'cos he is hungry (like the huuungry caterpillar) all the time. Like clockwork, every 2.5 hours I hear a "squeak-ungh-mmm-ya-hmmm-ya-YA-wa-squeak-ungh-don't they realise I'm hungry-WAAAAH" from his cot or wherever he is sleeping. And nothing but food will console him. Though, sneaky mummy does pop him in bed if he starts up at 5am. A dummy and the combo of body heat and soporific pats does quieten him down 'til after 6am most cold, early, dark mornings. (OK - the Bertas in northwestern Canada are rolling their eyes at me as cold in Cape Town right now is about 18'C. Shiver!)

A fun highlight last week (before Adam went down) was a visit from Ian from the UK who we have not seen for at least 5 years. Jessica, Luke and I took him to Boulders Beach where Jessica chased penguins and Ian was introduced to the little person clan and goings on. It was a lovely interlude in our week, and topped off with ice creams from the gelateria in Kalk Bay on the way home. MMM!

And that's really all the news for now. xx