Two More Weeks....

The end of a school year is always so crazy.  Gio has two more weeks of school and as soon as it ends he and I will fly to the USA for a quick visit.  Knowing my schedule between now and that plane ride this will probably be my last post for a while.  Here is what we have been up to since early May....

Paolo turned 49.  We are already busy planning his 50th birthday trek to Kilimanjaro.  Who wants to join him?

Maria's swim lessons are getting more and more challenging.  

She still loves them!

Gio loves having sleepovers.  We pay Bruno to supervise.

Tennis on the squash courts...

...might have to discuss appropriate footwear.

The post-sleepover nap (with supervision, as always)

A proper pediatrician's office in SA must show rugby constantly...

...and have a rocking zebra & giraffe.

It is not Ukraine-cold here, but we feel it since
our house is not heated!

Yep, she put this ensemble together herself.

Maria happily comes on my afternoon dog walks...as long as I provide snacks.

Maria HATES getting her hair washed at home yet absolutely loves having it done at the salon.  Diva.

On a rare rainy weekend Paolo and Gio headed off to watch a pro rugby match.
Gio wore 3 pairs of pants and 5 layers on top.

The rugby gang pre-match.

4 months ago these two hated each other.
And now they are inseparable.  

Maria LOVES her dentist.  She was thrilled to hang out in the chair for a bit.  

5 little monkeys...lounging in my bed.

The heavy rains of last weekend meant Maria finally had a legit reason to wear her beloved rain boots.

I drive Gio twice/week to the University of Pretoria campus for swim practice.  Brrrrr!

The most challenging part of my days?  Waking up these two.

I bought some amazing Mapula embroidery recently.
I absolutely love this artwork.
This one is destined for Gio's godmother in the USA who will be hosting us in Boston. 

Most Wednesday mornings I take the dogs to a park near Maria's school where I meet up with many of my friends.  It is furry, wet chaos.  Can you spy Enzo?

Yep, Bruno does consider himself a lapdog.

Basset sneeze.

Saturday horse ride.

Always following the dress code.

Brother-sister trail ride.

Our house gets very cold once the sun sets.
Bruno has found many creative ways to stay warm.

This past Monday I managed to get a group of friends and myself lost at a local hiking park.  What was to be a 1 hour hike turned into a 3+ hour one.  Dogs were not upset.

Post hike collapse.

Land-training before swim practice.

Requisite cat in a box shot.

Yep, I bought him a coat.  First dog I have ever dressed.  Desperate times.

Maria gave her fashion stamp of approval.

Our drive to school usually involves a bowl of cereal and a search for "BLUE CARS!" (Most cars in SA are white, so finding a bright blue one is actually an exciting sight, at least for a toddler.)

This weekend Maria and I stayed home while Paolo and Gio on the River Vaal fishing and staying overnight on a houseboat.  

Latest report (as of 5 minutes ago) is that no fish have been caught.  Good thing I packed them a lot of "back up" food.

My Mini-Paolo.

Drakensberg Holiday

It has been a busy end of April here in Pretoria.  Paolo continues his non-stop travel and the cooler air has been a welcome change.  I still find it surprising to see the leaves beginning to change when my brains says they should be budding.  We will miss much of the winter here since we will be in Italy and the USA so this is our only chance to wear a fleece or to turn on a heater at night.  
Here are glimpses of our last two weeks, including a road trip to the Drakensbergs (Dragon Mountains)....

With Paolo away in the USA a few weekends ago I took the children to what must be the most child-friendly restaurant in Pretoria.  There were two big play areas (with plenty of child minders!) and this make-your-own pizza station.

Watching a movie with a new friend while waiting for her pizza to bake.  Maria has had a dramatic change recently, going from terribly shy to an eager social bee.  It is fun to watch.

Saturday morning means a crazy run of activities beginning with Gio's golf lesson, then his swim training and finally horse back riding for both.

Off for a trail ride. 

Sunday morning I took the children and Gio's two teenage rugby coaches to Bounce, Gio's beloved trampoline park.  Maria is madly in love with both Gawie and Ruvan so she was in heaven to have them take her around.

This was Maria's first visit to Bounce (officially children under 3 are not allowed but we got in without any trouble this time).  She loved every minute.

Maria did not exactly catch on to the dodgeball rules but enjoyed it anyway.

Gio twisted his ankle at Bounce and being the very dramatic boy that he is I finally took him to the ER that evening after a lot of wailing and moaning.  4 hours later he was thrilled to hobble out of there with a clear x-ray and his first pair of crutches. In typical fashion he was all better and off to his tennis lesson the next afternoon.  I really must tell him all about "Peter and the Wolf"....

These two grow more attached every day.  What a gift Bruno has been for all of us.

One of Maria's lessons with her beloved "cheacher" Pierre made it into the Woodhill newsletter.  Will be fun to show this to her one day in the future. Golf attire of her very own choosing.

Wednesday afternoon swim lesson for Maria.  

I had no idea these even existed.  Of course, I bought them.  Perhaps if I mix them with Bran Flakes then they will be healthy??

Yup, she picked this ensemble herself.

Back to Pappacino's again.

Another Saturday, another ride on "Thumb"!

This past Wednesday (a national holiday here in SA) we headed off in a very packed car for a 5 day holiday in the Drakensbergs.  It was impossible for me to capture it on my phone but Bruno was actually sitting on our laps here. 

And Enzo, the giant bear that he is, got the front seat! It was a cozy 4 hour drive.

Arrived!  The view was absolutely stunning.  

Our first hike.  Dogs were in heaven, particularly Bruno as the there were wild horses all around and he is a big fan of horse poo.  Sigh.

Boys having a swim post-hike.

Our little hiker. 

Gio "fell" into the lake on our way back.  Good thing I brought about 20 changes of clothes for the weekend.

This was a very dog-friendly hotel. Enzo and Bruno slept in the beds, roamed freely around the property and hung out with the wild horses.  They were in heaven.

Clearly only the furry ones were worn out by the hike.

Soccer on the lawn was a popular activity.  We traveled to this retreat with 3 other Pretoria families so there were plenty of children around at all times.

Hiking "Dragon's Spine"

Saturday was a bad-weather day.  We did manage a morning hike before the rain really set in.  On the way back we encountered a large group of cattle.  Enzo and Bruno herded them all away from us so that we would walk through.  We had no idea our dogs had this skill!  Bruno was the real talent but Enzo caught on and seemed to enjoy the job!

Sunday was our last morning in the mountains.  Here we are on our final hike before heading home.

Enzo's first class accommodation on the drive home.

Gio and I have 6 more weeks in Pretoria before we embark on a mother-son trip to the USA.  After two weeks in DC and Boston he and I will fly to Italy where Paolo and Maria will join us for the month of July.  

More soon from Pretoria!
xo. Clara