Weeks 2 and 3 with the out laws

So Opa and Oma have now gone home and I've waded through all the great photos (which is always the most time consuming part of updating this blog) so now I can tell you what we got up to.We went and stayed with my sister and Collin in Brits once Benedikt got back from Germany as we were doing a triathlon near to them on the Sunday and Opa and Oma were booked as the babysitters.
Us athletes in the meantime got up at 5am for our 5:30 departure and headed groggily over to Buffelspoort Dam for the triathlon. My sister, Lesley, and I did the ultra distance as a team again while Benedikt did the sprint distance individually. His first REAL triathlon! The 2 we did in Kenya can't count because the swim was in a pool!

And whaddya know, we podiumed! Even after I lost like million places doing my bit, we still came in as the 3rd team and first ladies team overall. Woohoo!!
So it was all good. But I will never do that kind of thing again without training for it! I hadn't cycled that distance, nor done any significant hills in about 8 months, basically since last year's Tour de France! We are still taking this baby making thing seriously and I have become a lazy housewife ensuring I remain Fat and Fertile :)


So last weekend we packed up the car to the brim and headed off to Sterkfontein Dam at stayed at a resort called Qwantani. We got there around 6pm on the Friday evening so had a chilled braai at our chalet. Nico was really good during the 3 hour car journey. I'd installed a million toddler apps on my iPhone so that kept him entertained for hours


On the Sunday Benedikt, Irene and I went for a swim in the actual dam which was DIVINE. Very cold but very clear water. We went and checked out the boats at the dock, visited the animal farm and guess what? Played on the trampoline for another million hours. It was all in all a lovely weekend getaway in this beautiful country.
By the end of Opa and Oma's visit Nico was saying 'Op' which was cause for a major celebration! Opa REALLY tried hard to get that word out of Nico. So I miss them being here because now I have to look after Nico every afternoon again! But Benedikt and I are enjoying being on our own in the house this week I must say. (My dad is currently on holiday)


Some quality time with Oma and Opa:

Oma and Opa's first week. PLUS Nico's first bike race!

So my out laws are here for 3 weeks. Not to see Benedikt and I of course, but to spend as much time as possible with their beloved grandson. Its great for me as they do SO much around the house and need very little looking after.... and they take Nico and play with him the moment he is home from school and has had his lunch time sleep. So I am free to work or shop or bake (a new hobby of mine?!! All vegan healthy goodies of course) And my Dad is on hand to be tour guide and take them on day trips. Perfect!
Benedikt of course buggers of to work each day and leaves us to it. AND he even had to go to Germany for 4 days for work during his parents visit! He is lucky I get on with my parents in law :) He gets back tomorrow. And then we go away for the weekend. He doesn't deserve a rest!
Their first weekend here we made them babysit of course while we went out cycling. Then we went to a great place called Tres Jollie for an early dinner on the Saturday.
Then on Sunday we went for a lovely picnic at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens:


Nico wasn't really himself that weekend though and on Monday he had a temperature. He hadnt been sleeping or eating well either, so we took him to the doctor and she discovered he had an ear infection! Poor little mite. So he was put on anti biotics much to my disappointment. His first time! I bet its all that toxic animal food that his father feeds him that made him weak! So Oma and Opi were on sick child duty for the next 2 days. Glad they were here as I had a web site to finish!


Then next up was Nico's Bike-athlon at school. Heinz and Benedikt kept calling it a race. And told Nico he has to VIN. Heinz even made me write No 1 on his bike!

Gaga's visit

So Granny (aka Gaga in Nico's language) has just been up here for 2 weeks from the western cape. We did quite a lot with the mother but also made her sit at home and babysit or cross stitch a fair amount. She is excellent at both :)
We all miss her already, Nico especially, as Gaga was such a good play mate. My mum has been a teacher all her life (of little kids) and she has always done loads of childcare. So knows how to stimulate and encourage all right developments in a kid. That, and the fact that she loves her grandson to death and can't get enough of him, makes her the perfect granny!
Gaga would take Nico every afternoon and entertain him which was great as I could carry on working. We also got plenty of shopping done for my mum in between outings as she has very limited shops in Swellendam!



Our Gautrain trip:
So on tuesday the 21st of Feb, my mum, sis and I went on the Gautrain. We got on at Rhodesfield (which is very close to the airport) and got off 13 minutes later in Sandton. How convenient, doll. (sandton keugel accent) So we had lunch in the Nelson Mandela square then did a spot of shopping in the mall. We got the 17:15 train back and were back home by 17:40! Amazing really. Doing that drive at that time would take 2 hours instead of the 25 minutes it took us, door to door. I was SO impressed with the stations and the trains and the ease of getting a ticket, how helpful and friendly the staff were - the organisation of it all seems brilliant. We couldnt believe we were in SA when we got to Sandton station - there were people from all walks of life, fast walkers, slow walkers, silly people (us) taking photos, trains and movement and buzz everywhere. We just needed the London buskers and we could have been transported to the Underground!


Drakes Farmyard:


On my mum's last day we went to an awesome vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Bryanston called Fruits and Roots. I spent a FORTUNE in the health store. Wow, I could buy everything in there! I bought: kelp powder, stevia, healthy animal pasta for Nico, coconut oil, quinoa, bragg's amino liquid (soy sauce alternative), nutrional yeast, carob cookies and more. Then we had a vegan burger, a vegan wrap and a vegan pizza for our delicious lunch!
That night we went with Benedikt for sushi at our favourite sushi bar nearby... more yummy stuff