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.