We were really busy with them here, and had lots of fun.
Took the grannies and Paul to our first Major league baseball game to watch the Kansas City Royals play. Not quite the exciting game that cricket can be, but it was an experience!!! You are not allowed to take anything into the Stadium with you except water! Quite an atmosphere when you arrive, people have their portable grills in the parking lots and cook hotdogs and hamburgers etc before they go in. Kids play ball in the street and music playing etc....very festive! So we live and we learn......us greenies, take nothing with and go into the stadium to buy supper and enjoy the game!!! Not sure if the indigestion I experienced was from bad hot dogs or the price we had to pay!!!! R100 for basic hotdog and fries, R60 for bottle of water, R60 for small candy floss!!!!So now we understand why you cook out of the trunk of your car before you go into the Stadium.....Lesson #67 of living in the States recorded and memorised!!!!
Spent a day with the family at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun......had a really great time conning Paul into riding all the roller coasters.............he had a ball and was extrememly brave!!! Could have strangled Nathan and Josh a few times for telling him that it was a nice and gentle ride....(Hmmm right boys!!!)
We also managed to convince the grannies to enter the annuls of genuine Walmart shoppers by riding around the store on the ride on carts!!! Couldn't convince my mom to use the hooter though....she thought that was pushing it a bit far!!! One day I will build up the courage to ride on one.....it looks like such fun!!!
Things are quiet now without them here, and Neil and I are sort of in limbo at the moment. We did a road trip to Chicago a few weeks back...what a beautiful city?
Early morning start to our road trip....boys supposed to be sleeping Josh!!!!
Dad keeping awake for the long drive.
Breakfast out the trunk of the car....halfway there!!
It is on the shore of Lake Michigan, one of the great lakes.
So weird, felt like we were on the beach, the lake is so huge you cannot see the other side of it!!!
We went to The Museum Science and Industry, Navy Pier, walked along Michigan Avenue, went on a boat ride through Chicago and swam in the lake. We then went and visited some friends from SA who are now living in Indianapolis..............it was so much fun to see them and spend time with South Africans again!!!! On our way home we stopped in Cincinnati for 2 days and visited the Creation Museum. It was amazing....google it if you get a chance....even better, come and visit it. It is dedicated to the Creation and disproves evolution. It walks you through and proves how creation by a higher power than we can ever understand, is the only explanation for what we call earth and life. The boys really enjoyed it and so many of their questions were answered and settled things in their minds. Even Ben got an understanding of some things, and spent a fortune in the book shop!!!
Our summer seems to have been so short, just a couple of really hot weeks and now the weather is easing off again. Quite cool and comfortable...28 degrees today! It sounds like all over the globe the weather patterns are changing....I hear the winter back home so far has been mild and bearable.....I'm not looking forward to the start of winter here, when I remember back to how cold it was when we arrived.
Joshua's soccer is going really well, he is training hard and their matches start next week. His team won their division at state champs last season, so there is a bit of pressure on them this season, but there are some really good players and the coaching is brilliant, so I am sure they will do really well. Hold thumbs for him.
Nathan and Joshua started school today. The Daniel Academy. It is a private Christian school that follows the same ethos and principles as Ihop. They go to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, then home school on Tuesday and Thursday. They were quite excited to start....I'm just not cut out for the home school thing!!!! This way they experience more of the American Adventure and get to meet people. School starts at 8 and ends at 3:30. They have also joined the school soccer team....that is the only sport they have at the moment as it is a very small school and don't have enough boys for more than one sport at a time. Nathan is playing goal keeper for the Varsity side, which is the senior team and Joshua is in the Junior Varsity team.
They both recently went to tryouts at a very fancy Baseball Academy, I'm not sure if either of them will make the teams, these kids are good and have been playing for a few years already. But the boys are so enjoying baseball that they wanted to give it a go......if they don't make it, we will carry on in a friendly league and let their skills develop a bit more that way. Like I said to them, it is like an American kid coming to SA and trying out for u14 premier league cricket.....the local kids have far more experience and knowledge of the game.....So anyway, they tried out....we will see what happens there!!
Oooooh, before I go.....I am so excited.my very thoughtful husband found a store in US that sells only SA products and they deliver around the country. We ordered Biltong, Marie Biscuits, Tennis Biscuits, Marmite, Ouma rusks, and Mrs Balls Chutney. I can't wait for it to arrive......an extravagance that I think will be worth it just to make me feel a little at home!!!!
Miss you all so much my friends and look forward to all the dinner and party invites coming my way when I get home.....I'm back in Springs on 17 December and can't wait to see everyone!!! Lots of love
