Summer vacation and Mom comes to visit!

When I haven't blogged for so long, I feel guilty for not catching up. Merry Christmas and happy New Year are far behind us. February is around the corner! We had a great LONG vacation to South Africa where we met friends and enjoyed long evenings in Cape Town area. There is a reason the Cape Town is a top tourist destination. There is something for everyone, world class entertainment, and a very laid-back feeling that fits summer vacation perfectly.

If you don't think I should be talking about summer vacation in December, you don't understand the up-side of being on the down-side of the globe! Midsummer is in December complete with early mornings and late sunsets... we were on Table Mountain at 9pm and the sun was going down! Hanging out at the beach in the evening isn't strange and it isn't dark, but it IS windy - very windy, all the time! Our balls rolled wrong at the mini-golf because of the strong wind, I'm not exaggerating!

The absolute highlight of our vacation had to be meeting up with Mom in Johannesburg and dragging her with us all the way to Tete! Our car is made for 5, but this is Africa... so we made room for Momma! She endured being jammed in the backseat with her grand-kids for about 500 miles or so. Eventually I persuaded her that it only gets hotter and stickier the closer we get to home. She became a regular front seat rider for the last 1000 mile leg of the trip!


The kids loved showing Grandma their world. I think she liked being a part of it too! It was so good to have her there to stay with Katie and Jake while we took John to the dentist. We had a Safari and long road-trips. Beaches and highways. Missionary guesthouses and resorts. She experienced it all. School vacation ended and Mom was there to drop the kids off for the first day of school. (Our school year starts in January, so they actually all moved up a grade last week!) She got to experience an ant invasion brought on by rain and came to understand that killing them all off can create more problems than getting out of their way!

The three weeks we spent hosting my Mom were some of the best ever. I really appreciate her willingness to spend a lot of money to hang out with us. I'm so thankful for her interest in the little things in our lives here. I'm so proud of her eagerness to try some new things and go with the flow. It was fun to see the things we have in common even though I've made my home around the world. It was a nice surprise to feel so connected after years of being apart. Thanks, Mom. You've made our home richer because you stepped into it and made it yours for the time you were here. I love you!