Back to SA

 We got home from our trip at 9:30 pm Monday night and school started the next day! We were tired, but our excitement for the new school year overruled it. I now have a 4th and 6th grader! How did THAT happen?!? The crazy thing is that this is a first day of school that they get to experience twice as they will also start 4th and 6th grade in September. It's like some crazy wormhole in space or something!

New classroom, new diary!

 We missed our friends over the break!

 Nothing like discovering that your desk is next to your bestie's on the first day of school!

 Sasha got right back into riding:

 And we were all reunited with a very important family member. She was glad to be back in her co-pilot's seat!

 Bad habits alert... one day I couldn't find her any where. Went up to the bedroom and here she was. She looked at me like "WHAT?!? This is where people sleep!"

 Sasha and I made Max a cat tent so that he wouldn't feel left out. He totally digs it...

Life in Africa section: So there's this company called Eskom that is responsible for power. Apparently they have screwed things up majorly and there's not enough electricity now. So we have something called "load shedding". You lose power for 2 hours at a different time each day if it's phase 1 or 2 and you lose power for up to 4 hours if it's a phase 3 day. So you're constantly checking the schedule and tying to work your life around no electricity. At our house it seems to go off most frequently 6pm-8 or 8-10. Just when you are trying to cook dinner or get homework done on the computer. Oy!

Kids are both swimming for summer sport. There is this herd of ducks that has claimed the pool though and they are quite put off everyday when they get booted out of the pool to make way for practice. They stand there like coaches. I tell ya, you haven't been coached in swimming until you've been duck-coached...

So the kids swim to the other end and the Ducks jump in this end. Then the coaches tell the kids to swim back down the pool and it's this massive show-down... kids vs ducks. Africa....

 We took one last trip down the garden route to Plett...

 Road trip! Someone was pretty stoked that they got to come...

She even packed all her own stuff. Well her IMPORTANT stuff anyway. I had to pack the food bowls and all...

 The place we stayed at was really nice, and they had the coolest front steps I have ever seen! I guess if you're welcoming guests goldfish are a good choice. If your enemies are coming you could dump in some barracuda and then grease the steps...

 I will miss this landscape!

 Road tripping with Roxy is always an adventure because she never knows where she wants to sit but she knows it should be in somebody's lap... and you get very little warning when she decides that it's your turn. Good thing Jeff is a steady driver!

 Since we go to a Jewish School we get to celebrate Purim. Everyone dresses up and this is when you REALLY get to see how chill things are in Africa. This first grader dressed as Peter Pan which in HIS head includes having an actual bow and arrow. He marched all around the parade ring with an arrow knocked and pulled part of the way back most of the time. What could possibly go wrong?!?

 Grade 4's and up dressed coordinated as a class with themes. Ted's class chose "the 70's".

 ...And let me tell you, these grade 4's have SWAGGER! They even  busted out a dance when it was their turn to march around. Video HERE.

 Sasha's class chose "around the world". PERFECT theme for my girl... she was so excited to wear her Korean Hanbok!

 So many great costumes!

 The teachers all paraded too. They had coordinated so that all of their costumes had something to do with "load shedding".

 Hilarious....