My most booooring Christmas holiday ever...

Well firstly Silke got ill with flu on the last week of school.  I took her to school, watched her coughing through her school play (luckily she was a sheep!), went home, school rang just before 12:00, went back, Silke insists on have her Christmas lunch, patient mummy hangs around for an hour waiting, take her home, go back to fetch Mieke, take Mieke to Kumon, drop her off at neighbour, took Silke to GP, GP says to go to hospital, drive to hospital in an hour due to snow blizzard, paed says she's okay - get home after 8:00pm.

On Friday I leave Silke with my neighbour, take Mieke to school and present her teacher with his leaving present.  Ask a friend to pick Mieke up from school as it starts to snow heavily.  She finds a feverish Mieke sleeping under the table.

So far it doesn't sound that boring though this was just the start.  Over the weekend I also start getting ill, so all three of us end up with shivering with really high fevers.  So the next three weeks of the Christmas holiday we spend either in bed or laying about lazily reading or watching TV.  We only went out shopping for Christmas lunch and to watch Despicable Me (fabulous!).  And to travel to Maidenhead by train to do our visa medicals.  Luckily the girls seemed to enjoy their presents and its still keeping them busy.

Its the first of January and nothing much has changed - we are better but still coughing daily and lounging about.  At least we are getting plenty of rest.  Though not really as its 01:36 and I'm still awake - aaaarrrggghh!!

Mieke turned 9, Halloween & Ouma came to visit

October was a very exciting month for us.  A little too much excitement but it was fun.

First Mieke had a Sleepover Party - her first ever and she was so excited.  She invited her 3 BFF (best friend forevers) and we had tea at Franky & Benny's, then went home where we made lovely smelling goodies including soap and fizzballs and lipbalm.  Then the girls played Wii Sing and at midnight they had a special South African midnight feast including flings, creamsoda, biltong, ice zoos, fizzers - mmmmm.

Then they were supposed to go to bed... but didn't.  Eventually it did happen between 2 and 4 am. I think.

But she had a lovely time so it was worth the pain!!

Then her granny Antoinette came to visit from South Africa.  It was halfterm holidays and Werner took some leave so we did loads of things - visited Arundel Castle, Wisley, Westfield London and Werner & I spent a night at the Marriott Chancery Court on our own - what a luxurious treat.

On Mieke's birthday we took the train and tube to the O2 and saw Disney on Ice which the girls loved.  Of course Silke had to have a crown with ears and they both got Stitch cups with rainbow slush in them.

Then at the weekend it was Halloween and I made ghost cupcakes and scary cookies. Silke went to a friends birthday party (her first ever without me) and then the kids went trick or treating with the neighbourhood dads. We had a small halloween party at my neighbours house and the next morning it was back to school!!

Antoinette went back last night and I feel kind of lonely now - will soon get back into my routine. Autumn is well underway and the autumn colours are amazing.

Then at the weekend it was Halloween and I made ghost cupcakes and scary cookies.  Silke went to a friends birthday party (her first ever without me) and then the kids went trick or treating with the neighbourhood dads.  We had a small halloween party at my neighbours house and the next morning it was back to school!!

Antoinette went back last night and I feel kind of lonely now - will soon get back into my routine.  Autumn is well underway and the autumn colours are amazing.

A little trip down memory lane with Mieke

Mieke is turning 8 next Monday.  Eight seems really big.  It feels like yesterday when she was my clever little baby and now she is 8 - how did that happen?

Here are some photos from the past 5 years.  Mieke still with long hair in South Africa before Silke was born.

My little spoilt princess in her room in Bali Ridge, our lovely house which I still long for.

In hospital with Granny and newborn sister Silke - she was such a proud big sister!

The photo below was taken at our last lunch at Moyo Restaurant in Zoo Lake - we loved that place (African face painting included) and in summer you are sprayed with a cool mist while enjoying cocktails at the bar.  Never mind that the service was extremely sssslllloooowwww - its Africa after all!

See my two little cherubs below - Mieke's hair is short because she and her best friend Mia practised their hair cutting technique on each other.  It grew back it no time but it actually looked really cute short.

Mieke loves swimming and did really well with her swimming lessons with Auntie Margalo (Margaret) at the gym.  She could swim very well at three and do lenghts in all different strokes at four years old.  But alas I cannot say the same about the swimming teachers here in the UK.  They stand outside the pool shouting instructions to the kids.  So even with the school taking them for swimming lessons every week she still used to swim better in South Africa when she was 3!! 

Before we left for the UK we visited our favourite places - the Drakensberg and Sanlameer.  We stayed for a weekend at the Cathedral Peak Hotel in the Drakensberg and had a great time.  Did a lot of walking and picnicking in the forest and swimming in their rock pool.  We even had a babysitter one evening which was a rare treat.  Silke was about six months old on this trip.  We also loved Sanlameer as always and after travelling the world I think its still one of my favourite places.

Mieke turned five in the October before we left for the UK.  We had a wondeful party for her at Kate's Cottage.  I think this was definitely her best party ever - sunshine, friends, jumping castle, slippy slide, lots of shiny balloons and a princess cake - what more could a girl want!

At her last Christmas play at the Cottage Montessori she was a fish - not sure which type of fish but she was a gorgeous little fish and did her dance perfectly.

We had a last Christmas with Ouma and Oupa in Betties Bay...

And then eventually - five year old Mieke's first day at school in the UK at Pewley Down Infant School in January 2006.

That face says only one thing:  WTF!!

...Am I doing here?

Where is my house?

Where is my room?

Where are my friends?

Where are my dog and cat?

Why is is so frigging cold here?

What do you mean I have to wear these scratchy clothes every day and go to school until 3pm!!

Well all is well that ends well!

Here she is starting her new school in Year 3 at Holy Trinity Junior School in September 2009.  She has come a long way and we are so proud of her!!

Eight years old, I can't believe it. And I am so incredibly proud of her, the way she adjusted to everything over the past nearly 3 years was amazing. Today I went to pick her up from school and there she was - playing hockey with avengeance. The smallest kid with 2 ponytails and an oversized mouthguard hurling herself unafraid into a throng of hockey sticks - I was very proud today.

And yesterday when she played a new piece on her violin, and when the teacher wrote she read her book beautifully and when she got two prizes last Friday at school and today when she made a forward roll on the beam in gymnastics. I am a very proud mom.

So let me take a moment and talk about Mieke and what she is about.

99 (or less) things about Mieke

Mieke is my firstborn my pride and joy.

When she was born her head was flat and her hip dislocated, but I knew in my heart that she was fine. So imagine my surprise when they sent a counsellor to see me about my baby's 'disability'.

Still, Mieke had to wear double cloth nappies for the first six weeks of her life - at first I was worried about having to wash these until I realized I could put the cloth nappies over the disposable ones.

When she was little she called a sweetie a footie.

She loved her milk when she was a baby and still does.

I breastfed Mieke for 18 months, she could speak sentences at 18 months. These things are unrelated as I'm still breastfeeding Silke at 3 and she is barely speaking sentences.

Mieke loves reading Horrid Henry books and Naughty Fairy books and some Roald Dahl. She reads very well for her age (well as her proud mum I think so).

Mieke is very proud of her South African heritage and tells everyone about it.

Most adults like Mieke as she is very well behaved. She is not always that well behaved at home though...

Since starting Year 3 at Holy Trinity, Mieke does Art, Violin, Hockey, Gymnastics, Kumon and Orchestra - she is very busy but loving it.

Mieke is good at art and very imaginative.

Mieke fights with Silke every day. But she also hugs and kisses Silke every day.

Mieke gets up each morning at 6:30 am to watch tv and sometimes to do her Kumon. She likes to see her dad in the morning before he goes to work and cries if he doesn't wake her up.

Mieke can walk for miles without complaining, wether in London or on holiday in Italy or Switzerland. As long as she gets an ice cream - she loves vanilla ice cream.

BAIE GELUK MET JOU 8STE VERJAARSDAG MIEKE!!!!

Ons is baie lief vir jou - jy is ons almal se NUMBER 1 - Soos Oupa altyd se.