Quality Time with Avo

A Da Mata/Dinis Weekend

13 - 14 August 2011
Our trip West to Carletonville

Our amigos, Nicol and Trevor, invited us for a weekend in ville.  Its been about 13+ years since my last stay at the ville.   Yip 13 years, our first year at Varsity where Nicol and I met.  Wish I had a pic of us back then, boy how things have changed.  Firstly Nicol had long hair (cut short in her first year of varisty), secondly we both married now here is a story.  Both of us, in one of our daily coffee shop discussions swore we'd never marry a veggie boy, butcher or a bottle store boy tee hee fate sure dealt us one.  Nicol married Trevor who works on the veggie market  and I married Ili who works at Rebel Fruit & Veg.  So much for deciding our own fate lol!  Regardless I think us varsity girls landed ourselves lucky with the our boys! 
  

Our Amigos - Nicol and Trev

Back to my list: thirdly we were both blessed with a child.  A beautiful baby girl for Nicol, Calista, and a absolutely gorgeous boy for me, Jaime.

Calista and Jaime

These two get on like a house on fire - its really cool. in a whisper "maybe we'll import her to the US for Jaime, we know her parents and grandparents, she's a good girl from good stock"

The familia - Jardim, Da Mata's and Dinis 

Thank you for a great weekend Amigos and thank you Mr & Mrs Dinis for having us over 

- great memories! 

The love affair begins!

Duarte Family Braai

Sunday Afternoon Braai - just one more - with the Duarte familia, just us, cause we can!

Enjoying the fresh air.. Jaime the photographer

The braai - ribs yum yum

Avo enjoying the warmth from the sun

My boy and me

Tiago and the pups

Puppy attack

Jaime and Rafael enjoying the swing

Climbing the mountain

The familia 

A little goofy sometimes but we love them!

World of Firsts

WOW !! Jaime had his first big mac burger today and he was quite happy to eat the burger on his own, He is expanding his culinary pallette and exploring the joys of JUNK FOOD ...

This is good news for us, of course, now we can go anywhere and order off the menu!

Relaxed Sunday

Sunday late Breakfast: Pap and sauce, home made bread, honey basted ribs (yumm)

Chocolate cake and coffee

Dont you wish you were there???

My boys - always kidding around

The Beeg Familia

Thank you Whelans and O'Grady's for a fabulous weekend! 

Promise we can come back again...

Carmi's birthday

Whiskey Tasting

 an early prezzie for Carmi (something she has always wanted to do)

After the Birds of Prey festival we mozied on into the Dullstroom town had lunch, did some window shopping (shoes and chocolate LOVED IT), and closed off the day with some Whiskey tasting.

Carmi tried the "Irish Tour", Ili "Johhnie Walker Gold", Bas had the "Trans Atlantic" and myself a capucchino, of course!

Carmi and Bas worked through their 6 shots umming and ahhing over them and I think deciding on a few favourites. 

The rest of Saturday amounted to pizza for dinner, 2 games of 30 seconds with the old foggies and mmm not quite sure how many games of Rummikup.  I do know for definite that Ili lost ha ha ha ha "L"

 

Relaxed Sunday Morning ... preparations of Carmi's Birthday!

Chanel and Jaime mixing some icing for the cake - both chose Pink and Purple as the official colours of the day

And the icing begins...

This is hard work!

After some icing flowers the final touch - candles

All done - Perfect!

Carrying the cake to Aunti Carmi

Happy Birthday - SURPRISE>>>>

The wind was blowing so hard outside that we had to bring the candle celebrations inside.  Lucky Aunti Carmi was turning a big number so there were enough candles for everyone

Best Friends

Saturday in Dullies - The Birds of Prey Fare

Saturday with an early start to the day - who sleeps late with 2 toddlers and a 1 year old in the house???? - we head off to the Birds of Prey Sanctuary. This Sanctuary is run by Mark and Mark really funny bunch of guys. They hold Eagles, Falcons, owls, secretary birds mmm I can't remember the rest. During the Bird Show you get to see the Birds up close and gain some knowledge regarding the birds from Mark and Mark. Loads of jokes and ripping off (Mark vs Mark and the audience too) in between the facts which make it really fun!

Waiting for the Bird Show to begin

Jaime taking random pics of people - this happened to be a man from the SPCA - wierd!  Not sure if he was here on business or pleasure

Mark posing for a pic taken by Jaime

The boys - Bastiaan, Jaime and Ili

Mark posing with the secretary bird

After the Bird show we mulled around the Fare.  Most of the stalls were about Trout fishing and knives.  I dont know must be a guy thing.

The Birds of Prey Fare

Running free in the fields

Ili and Bastiaan tried their hand at Clay Pigeon Shooting.  Both boys were actually pretty good, however Ili told me much later that they launch the clay pigeon (its not actually a pigeon its a bright orange clay oval shape ball) straight into your line of vision, so in other words its really easy and they werent actually that good tee hee.  Just kidding, after a few rounds both boys managed to shoot both targets in one round.  Not bad Boetie Not bad 

Ili marking his target

Bastiaan, checking the bullets and informing everyone that its his first time....

Jaime and Chanel on the slides

The boys

My Jaime showing off his new Owl hoody.  Thought these were really cute plus we bought it big so it will survive teh Boston winter!

How do you not love that face???

Dullstroom Weekend 29 - 31 July 2011

Our first weekend away - now that Ili is home we finally, after a very long time, got to go on a weekend away  *YAY* Our destination Dullstroom.  My bestest Friend Carmen's parents live there and invited us to spend the weekend and to join in the celebrations - Carmen's Birthday.

Bastiaan ,my friend, visting from Holland joined us on our trip to Tout ville.

The Main Road

Landscapes

Its a gorgeous part of the South Africa, freezing but beautiful none the less.  Excited to spend 2 days just chilling!

Jaime's turn ...this time tonsils

We visited Dr Carters (ENT) offices on the same day Ili had his wisdoms removed (same hospital). Within 5 minutes into the consult, even with Jaime running around like a loon, Dr Carter decided that his tonsils had to go. He said it was pretty standard to remove them once a child has suffered tonsillitis more than 3 times in a row within a short period of time. In our case it’s been once a month since his birthday. So they had to go. Fine. Surgery set for 1 week’s time.

Murphy's law Jaime gets sick on the Wednesday - high temps sore throat. Once again a visit to the paed = surgery cancelled and follow up appointment set for next Tuesday. Great.

Thank God Jaime got over his tonsillitis pretty quick. The ENT was happy on the Tuesday to do the surgery the next Tuesday. Geez this felt like the never ending story!

Monday Night around 11pm I realise I did not phone the medical aid to request the pre- authorisation code for Jaime's op tomorrow grrrrrrr So I go online submit a request and I hope we'll have a number by tomorrow 6am.  My chances are very low!

Tuesday morning 26 July 2011 5am - we up! we up!  Need to get to the hospital by 6am. As usual the Jardims are on a go slow its to early man!!  We arrive at 6:15am get admitted straight to Paed ward and wait.

Around 8am they came collected Jaime.  He went throught to theater playing PSP (pic below)  did'nt seem too worried. This pretty picture changed dramatically the minute the anethetist grabbed Jaime with one hand and the PSP in the other.  He left us kicking and screaming!  This was heartbreaking, the poor guys did't expect that he did't understand!

Half hour later, waiting at the theater door, we could hear my baby boy screaming! I thank God that he was screaming but I hated the fact that he was. It felt like an age before those theater doors opened. There was my Jaime screaming on a single bed linked to a drip. He was screaming so bad I begged the theater sister if I could hold him - she let me. He grabbed onto me so tight, so tight! I've never felt so sad for my little boy like I did today.

Once he realized we were back in the ward he lost it. throwing things, ripping the drip, screaming, hitting me. He was really angry! I'd grab him hold him, he'd calm down for a minute and rev up again.

Around 11 am he passed out - I think from pure exhaustion. This time he woke up with Mommy and Daddy by his side, much better!!

The next step - drinking 100ml of coke and half a packet of chips, YEAH RIGHT! my son thinks coke is dangerous for him!!! Plus eating full stop is an issue for my boy!!

By 12 - 12:30 both Ili and I were exhausted. The chips were burning his throat, the coke was going down but with a fight. We eventually ate the chips and drank the coke and convinced the nurse he will eat at home.

Home sweet Home