E - Vida

 Jorja's 2nd Haircut...Ever  And the finished product!     Chores duPie and Mommy at 28 weeks Birthdays Summer Fun

This year we tried something different! We enjoyed a 'Family Favourites' lunch on Christmas Eve with all of our visiting Pretoria family - Quiche, Fish and Chips, Pizza, Salads (and a suprise Crayfish tail starter treat) followed by Vanilla Ice Cream and Berries. Yum! The meal was enjoyed by everyone and didn't induce nearly as much stress as the traditional Christmas meal - what a pleasure! After tea (and once P-J was home from work), we unwrapped gifts together - but I'll have to wait on Dezlin to upload the snaps of that colourful mayhem! We had Santa's helper (Aunty Robyn) create stockings for all of du Plessis - Danny, Vivienne, Lee-David, Deb, Matty, (even Micah), P-J, Ash and Jorja. DuPie will wait until next year for his/her stocking's finishing touches. Thanks Rob! In the photo above, Jorja thinks about going to play outside - although that does entail interacting with Bernie, the miniature Jack Russell puppy from Pretoria! Glad to r...

On 22 December, P-J and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Wow - has it been 5 years already? P-J had to work until lunch time, but while I waited, he treated me to a facial and pedicure treatment at our local therapist ( Romy at LETS FACE It ). I waited with pleasure! We enjoyed lunch together later and had a relaxing evening with Jorja that night. What a pleasure to be able to relax and enjoy my family, at home, during this very busy and otherwise chaotic time of year! We've always commended others for taking the time on their wedding anniversary to make a special investment into that important relationship. Of course, sharing celebratory 'tea-and-cake' with loved ones is fun too...but we've done 4 years of that, so this time was our turn! This year, I finally did good on my promise to put some of our cherished wedding photos into a photo book. Jorja loves looking at the photos - and especially likes my dress! She must be wondering w...

Today my Gramps Ikey and Gran Jean would have celebrated 53 years of marriage. Their 52 years together as Mr and Mrs I Geduld brought them 5 daughters - our wonderful Aunts - their fine husbands, many kids and even, Miss Jorja. I firmly believe that their marriage stood the test of time because they had their priorities in place. I distinctly remember them teaching us, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Today I finally finished the work on our own Wedding Album. If all goes well, we'll be viewing it just as we arrive at our own 5th wedding anniversary. It seemed a bittersweet thing to be thinking of our 'newlywed' status under the circumstances. Our record pales in comparison to theirs! We will scatter my Gramps Ikey's ashes this evening, travelling along the coastal route of the Cycle Tour and recollecting our fond memories of him on his bicycle. With sadness we will say goodbye again and offer comfort to my Gran as she faces this day wit...

Hard to believe that there are things that Jorja hasn't experienced until now... But also a sign of the times that she's growing up! We had another week of firsts last week - Her first lunch box...and her first packed school lunch First time using the kickboard and venturing to the middle of the pool Jorja's very first sleep over without her Mom and Dad, all the way in Melkbosstrand Added to that, this is my first opportunity to sit down and blog since the beginning of November. Wow-ee, it's been a busy time! Since then we have heard some exciting news about cousin Peanut Klaasen and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Micah du Plessis in Vermont. Despite our good intentions, Festive Season preparations will have to wait until I finish off in the office next week, and then we'll bundle Christmas tree - decorating and nursery-building into one project!