Done at Preschool yesterday. I love these, especially the various expressions and hair colours!
Category: Kids
January 29, 2009
October 22, 2008
classic Iain
“If I saw the Grim Reaper, I’d be scared to death.”
yes, he said this the other day. this is just too good to be made up 
October 8, 2008
i have no idea where i am, but i’m glad i got here.
spoken by Arthur Paul this evening. In his case, it was in reference to his current location in a video game. But, classic and insightful nonetheless.
Do you ever feel like that? I do. This is my life. So many twists and turns. Many good and memorable people and things. But how did I get here – where am I? Sort of like when you are driving and suddenly realize that you haven’t really been paying attention. You’re in the right place, just not sure how you did it.
Part of it has to do with perspective. We’re the fish in the tank. Of course we don’t see ourselves from all the angles. Our finite limitations keep us in the moment, narrow, and often self-absorbed. And we probably couldn’t handle seeing much more than we do – too many factors to take in.
It is so good though, isn’t it? I don’t know where i am, but I’m glad I got here. I hope you are glad for where you are right now.
September 5, 2008
my genius son
yesterday we were driving to the gym. waiting at the robot (traffic light), all the guys selling things came walking by. the smaller boy asked, “why don’t they sell things that people want?”
the older boy chimed in, “yeah, what about petrol (gasoline)?”
this is a great idea! imagine, you are sitting at the robot (traffic light) and realize you are running low on petrol (gasoline) and there is a person RIGHT THERE to top you up. they could charge you nearly anything and you would pay simply for the convenience.
the boy is a genius. don’t steal this idea. we need the money.
see you at the corner…
April 17, 2008
the beginning of the end
For the first time, my son Arthur (my 9 year old son) knew something that I didn’t.
child: “Do you know what a blue moon is?”
me: “Uh, when the moon looks like it is blue????”
child: “No, it’s when there is more than one full moon in the same month”
me: “Really? Impressive”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon
so, explains the expression “once in a blue moon” for something rare (like two full moons in one month). don’t get me wrong, i’m glad to have learned something new today. just not ready to learn it from my eldest child.
This is where it all goes downhill…
March 2, 2008
A fine weekend
Praise to God – maker of all things, lover of my soul – that I am finally feeling a bit better. Not 100%, but well enough to actually enjoy this weekend. And what a weekend.
Friday night, we did a commissioning time for the Kabongos who are launching an Innerchange team in Soshonguve this year.
Yesterday, Melissa, AP, Mairin, and our friend Chris went to a fab concert at the Botannical Gardens in Joburg. Then, we went and had dinner at a cool little restaurant nearby.
Chris & Harris Tweed, Arthur & Chris all smiles, Mairin at the restaurant
Today, we took the kids and Iain’s friend Lukie to an outdoor adventure. Hiking, animals, and hamburgers – what could be better? This afternoon we swam at Pangani.
Lukie holds a crocodile (Iain making sure you see it), the boys hiking, swimming (Mosky doing ballet in the back)
So glad to just chill for the weekend, especially with the hectic schedule we’ve had and given that we are hosting the all-NieuCommunities conference starting this upcoming weekend. Nice to hang with the fam – nourishing to the soul!
January 28, 2008
sometimes, you don’t know whether you should laugh or cry
subtitle: kids…
Mairin likes to play in the garden. She generally gets dirty, but stays out of trouble and has fun. However, she has recently taken to “playing” with the flowers. Here’s today’s work:
looks pretty nice. neat rows of leaves. green contrasts with the bricks well.
of course, those leaves have to come from somewhere (mom and dad not so happy about this part)
so, how to balance response to the artistic value vs. ecological impact to our garden?
January 15, 2008
Ants in his Pants
One thing I love about our son Iain is that he dances…. a lot. He moves to the music playing in restaurants. He grooves to the tunes in the elevator. He jumps up for commercials. He’s sort of got this elbows in and shoulders/butt moving & head revolving thing going on.
Now, if he sees you looking at him while doing this dancing, he tends to get self-conscious, grin, and ask, “What?” I usually just say, “I love you Iain.”
crud, these aren’t supposed to be sideways…
December 10, 2007
thoughts on the Golden Compass from Arthur Paul (age 9)
This should be our last post on the subject. The following comes after several conversations with our son about the movie.
I think anyone should be allowed to see the Golden Compass. Even Christians should see it. So what if the children kill God in the third book it’s not ever going to happen and never will because it is impossible to kill God. So if you have been listening to the people posting about not seeing the Golden Compass, I say you should think for yourself. It might be as they say, I don’t know, just think for yourself.
October 31, 2007
Halloween in South Africa
People don’t really celebrate Halloween in South Africa. However, we had a party last year, which means precedent was set. Also, Melissa was just in America, and you just can’t resist all those chocolates and Halloween-themed items, can you?
So, the kids carved pumpkins on Sunday (well, Mairin carved a butternut squash). They decorated the house today – mostly with spiderwebs that we will still be finding next week. Then this evening, some friends came by. It was mostly for kids, so they had candy and played a few games. The adults had a braai (bbq)…. and candy.
The last pic is NOT one of our kids. It’s our friend Lizzie – the only adult who dressed up!