February blew through with lots of rain, swim practices and many outings with Jagger (who grows 3 inches every time I look away from him). Summer officially ended though seasons do not change dramatically here. I expect to see leaves turning in a month or two and nights to get cooler. Days are shortening a bit which means the hadidas wake us just a little bit later each morning.
Jagger got his BIG BOY jacket at the start of the month. He is so proud of it!
Gio had a swim gala at his school. Here he is competing in freestyle (front crawl).
Grade 2 swimmers. Can you find Gio?
AISJ Swim team- Pretoria
We took Jagger to a Davis Cup match.
So many tennis balls.....
At a birthday party in the woods. The kids brought Jagger plenty of sticks....
....to chew (his favorite activity).
Our weekends are filled with birthday parties. This one for a friend of Maria's.
She takes her cupcakes very seriously.
Maria has a lot of good friends at her school but Aiden is someone very dear to her. They are adorable together.
Speaking of best friends.....
These two were on their way to GDA for an overnight. Since they knew they were traveling in my car, they decided to do THIS just before the end of the walk. And I wonder why none of my friends really want to accept rides from me.....
Heading into GDA kennels (I picked up Jagger's sister Jade on the way). The three were about to have a sleepover together.
Clockwise from left: Jade, Isaac & Jagger
Jailed.
Jagger, Isaac & Jade (photo taken by our puppy supervisor to assure us anxious moms that they were doing fine!).
Car ride home from the overnight. Not so sure they did much sleeping there!
Maria's new favorite dress ("Girls Run the Galaxy")!
Off for a weekend in the country (to Thabametsi Farm in Magaliesburg).
This farm was VERY dog and kid-friendly. The dogs were given freedom to roam the entire farm. There were playgrounds, a pool, chickens to feed and even this fairy maze for Maria to explore.
My favorite part of the weekend were my dawn walks with the boys through the fields.
We visited the Cradle of Humankind our first day. Here we are beginning our visit to the caves.
Once underground our wonderful guide took it upon himself to reassure Maria that there were "No monsters down here!" She adored him instantly.
Exploring a fossil playground at Cradle of Humankind.
Back at our cabin. The dogs were momentarily stunned to see this interloper.
Wagon ride Sunday morning.
More romping in the fields...
Back home after a fun weekend. One more day without school so we headed to Gio's favorite place in Pretoria for some parkour training.
Kids are back in school so I got to return to the dog park.
Two more AISJ families volunteered to raise GDA pups. Here is my friend Gaelle (another World Bank spouse) with her new baby Oslo.
Meanwhile my own GDA pup has formed a sweet bond with Salt.
Jagger & Oslo's first play date.
An afternoon nap- when I woke look who had joined me. Both of them at once...and no hissing! A rare moment.
Isaac came for a sleepover.
Here they are busy with one of Gio's Crocs.
Bird watching with the boys.
Bruno takes full advantage of the rule that guide dog pups are not allowed on the bed!
Maria and I spent Monday, Feb 20th, in the hospital for a series of tests on her kidneys and urinary tract.
We were at the hospital from 6AM to 5PM. It was a long day. Here is Maria just before she headed to the OR.
Post-Op. I did not photograph her wake up as it was not pretty. She has been sedated a few times before and she always wakes as an angry drunk! Luckily she rages for only a bit and then passes out for a few more hours.
Awake and finally allowed to eat!
Final scan of the day. Great news- Maria has no evidence of kidney damage despite years of infections. And she is outgrowing her urinary reflux. YEAH!!
We had a remarkable amount of rain in February, much to the dogs' delight. Here is our flooded dog park.
Back to GDA for another puppy event.
Our loves.
There are many reasons we love living on a golf estate. Here is one of them: Gio can just head out onto the greens and join a soccer match.
So much freedom is a rare thing these days.
Another day, another chance to roll in the mud.
Jagger hit his official adolescent period this month. And he sure is embracing the naughty side of this age.
Gio had his final swim gala of the season (sadly many were cancelled this year due to the constant rain). His ladder relay place 2nd overall. So cool!
Fluffy butt pillow.
Last week Jagger and his brother Jade met their sponsor. GDA runs exclusively on donations (no government funding), so these generous people and companies are essential.
The boys and their sponsor Herman Smith from Assore Mining.
Visiting Assore Mining headquarters.
This weekend Gio's dear friend Ozan came for a sleepover. A few other critters wanted to join them!
March is already here. Gio has a week off later in the month. He and I will head to Sun City for a couple of nights so he can hit the water park. We have no other trips planned this month as we are resting up before our big trip to the USA in April! xoxo. Clara
