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Adrien & Gabriel Enjoying South African Springbok Biltong

We have bid adieu to the doting grandparents that visited. We were so blessed to have had them here. The memories are unforgettable. We have also bid adieu to summer and we are fully immersed into South African autumn.  It is hard to believe that winter is just around the corner, again (we just left it 4-months ago).  Besides our beloved pool being covered for winter, we are also coming to grips with not having central heating (oh, we are so hard done by - kidding :).  To help cope with a cold house, we purchased the next best things: a pick up truck full of firewood and a few electric heaters. We are also settling back into our "normal" routine and feeling more like residents rather than visitors.

Schooling has dominated our lives, which means a whole lot of thunking is going on around our home. We have all been very proud about the successes that Karyne and Gabriel have had at their respective schools.  Additionally, Karyne has completed numerous additional Rotary events and speaking engagements in the last few weeks.

Keep reading for more of the life and times of the Moores.

As expected, Karyne did VERY well on her first paper.  Additionally, she has also completed presentations in both of her classes and is now beginning the prepare for her final exams that begin tomorrow.  Her first step towards studying was a "fall cleaning" of the office. : ) Despite the grueling work load, Karyne has done admirably! Most days she will get some study time in the morning while Gabriel is at school. However, the rest of her studies typically start after the boys are in bed and continue until early into the morning (...4am ish...).  Following the first semester, there will be a 6-week break before the next semester begins.  During that time, Karyne will attempt to complete her thesis (a thesis marathon).  She has already done some of the preliminary research, but it will be challenging (we will also have the added challenge of moving at the end of June).

Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can...

Last weekend, the whole family packed up for a 24-hour trip to Hermanus where Karyne and the other ambassadorial scholars had a speaking engagement and presentation scheduled at the Rotary's District conference.  Karyne did such a tremendous job speaking that a number of local clubs invited her to speak at one of their weekly meetings.  She also received a nice gift for Mother's Day.  Hermanus is known as best whale watching place in the world, from June - November. Apparently, the whales breed there and have their calves right in the bay in front of the town.  Definitely a place to return to later in the winter. So for those traveling to South Africa during those months, make sure you add a visit to Hermanus to your list of things 'to do'.

Wesley continues to complete his duties as Mr. Mom with great pleasure and resolve. As Chef-in-Residence he is developing quite a repertoire of favourite recipes that the family enjoys. Karyne commented that his abilities are just under that of a cordon bleu chef : ).  Wesley is having fun in the kitchen and takes a lot of pride in preparing satisfying meals. He also enjoys watching the Food Network after the boys are in bed to learn some new skills. Furthermore, Wesley has developed a healthy menu of baby food he makes from scratch.  We decided to make all of Adrien's food at home, and with the help of a "Baby Bullet" and a wonderful book of recipes, Adrien is now eating two solid, and very healthy, meals per day (with our continued use of cloth diapers, we are quite the "granolas").

I'm Coming Too!

Wesley also continues to find teaching in the township of Wallacedene both inspiring and heartbreaking.  There are wonderful moments where teaching does make a difference in the lives of the students, however some challenges and issues faced by some students are horrible, even by township standards. Last week, Wesley taught a science class for the students in which they studied plants, germination, plant products and where they started to grow poppies and cabbages. He is also working with special needs children in the Grade 3 class. These are children who are 10-11 years old and in Grade 3, who are struggling the learn basic literacy and numeracy skills.  Wesley is also going to see if he is able to assist the school with fundraising in the near future.  Finally, Wesley has realized he is getting old - twice in the past month he has injured himself while out for a run (despite stretching). This week's injury, a pulled calf muscle...errrr!

Gabriel's First Easter Egg Hunt

This week Gabriel begins Rugga Kids.  This is a program that runs throughout the province and that introduces children to the basic concepts and rules of rugby -- while having a lot of fun.  Gabriel is in a group with 5-year olds, so his teammates are physically taller, but definitely not more athletic. During his first session Gabriel did tremendously well.  In fact the coach was very impressed with his tackling and running skills.

Gabriel also continues to LOVE school and we are very impressed with the quality of his teacher.  She has been teaching the children many fun games, but also a lot of concrete literacy and numeracy skills (i.e. letters, numbers to 20, shapes like octagons, hexagons, etc.).  At school, Gabriel has also developed some good friends, in particular one boy with whom he has had a few play dates and with whom he seems joined at the hip while at school (they race, run and climb with each other every day).  Most evenings, Gabriel sits down with Daddy or Mommy to practice French.  He now knows the alphabet and can write his numbers to twenty (in English et en français).  Finally, one of Gabriel's favourite actives is learning to play the djembe with Mommy. The two of them practice doing basic rhythm and beats, and get to make a lot of noise in the process (there is also a lot of contagious laughter).

Adrien continues to grow and develop at an astounding rate.  Just in the past two days he has gone from not really "getting" how to move on his stomach to quickly belly crawling 8-10 feet at a time.  However, it is more of a slither, than a crawl.  He uses his hands and elbows to push himself along, while his legs flail behind him (adorable).  He is also starting to get the concept of the assisted walk.  He really enjoys when one of us hold his hands and he gingerly swings one leg in front of the other.    The other new step is that he can now sit for quite long periods of time, unsupported, and play with toys, balls or anything else he can try to put in his mouth. One of the biggest challenges has been for him to return to sleeping through the night.  When his 4 teeth came in we would typically hold him at night because he experienced quite a lot of pain, but ever since he has fervently resisted sleeping through the nights...  

Adrien Enjoying His First Jeep

That is it from here. For those who are making plans to visit SA this year, please let us know your possible dates, as we are putting together a tentative schedule for the spring (our spring = August - November). 

Please also send updates about your lives and activities.  We thoroughly love getting news and pictures from home.

Much love,

Wesley, Karyne, Gabriel & Adrien