As I sit down completely exhausted to type this, I realize it's not just because it's after midnight, but it's been one FULL week!!! We had one slower day, on Monday, when we went to apply for Ollie's passport and Maelee wasn't feeling well. Then from Tuesday until today, it has been GO GO GO: Tues- Table Mountain; Wed- Delvera; Thurs- Monkey Town, lunch in Gordon's Bay, and a farewell party at the orphanage: Fri- Boulder's Beach; Sat- Cape Town Aquarium; Sun- Aquila Game Reserve. Whew!
There's so much that this beautiful city has to offer, and our time here is quickly coming to an end so we are trying to make the most of it. With now three very active little kiddos, we have been so grateful that there are so many awesome activities to take in, many free or very affordable, and rarely too far away. We are going to miss these sweet times as a family when we go back home and Steve goes back to working a "normal" schedule! Even though the late nights working have been tough on him, we have enjoyed having him to ourselves in the mornings. :)
We continue to find new areas of "adjustment" needed for our now family of five, and while last week we noticed our sweet Ollie would react to disappointment by shutting down, this week he is reacting to being told no, or handling transitions, by getting too wound up and acting goofy! We are constantly needing to remember that this process is by the Lord's strength alone and are constantly in awe of his grace and encouraged by his promises. We love this precious boy dearly, so we are all just figuring it out as we go! :) It has been awesome seeing such a playful, giddy side to our son though and he really has become such a joyful little spirit that we weren't at first even expecting! So grateful for God's blessings.
As there were probably thousands (well, close to that at least) of pictures from this past week, they can probably speak for themselves and I will keep the words brief!
Celebrating with lunch just the three of us :)
He loved his pint-sized cup and learning games on daddy's phone!
Beautiful sunset at our place
On Tuesday, we finally got to take the cable car up to Table Mountain. We wanted to do this once my mom was here, and since the weather forecast was perfect, it was the best day to go. What we were not expecting was the extra traffic that made our trip there and back almost twice as long, plus an over hour long wait for the cable car, and our little guy being only interested in bounding around on the rocks and running up and down the stairs! We were all exhausted by the time we were back off the mountain and could hardly even remember the beauty we saw. But it was absolutely stunning and no surprise it is now one of the new "Natural Wonders of the World." So gorgeous!
One of the little dassies that were all over the place!
Steve was a champ sticking by Ollie's side so he could just run around!
The girls were pretty impressed, but probably loved seeing the dassies the most, lol.
More pics from Table Mountain!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ALpcdQzxKimZDhTx1
We tried to have a little bit more of a low-key day on Wednesday but had to get the kiddos out to play so we found a little place, Delvera, not too far away for lunch and outdoor fun.
These kiddos love their slides!
And we even got a family pic- score!
More pics from Delvera and other 4th week shots:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sKAtKcwX3OHEq48T2
This guy was definitely more interested in running around than holding monkeys!
We just love how much these three laugh together!!!
Yay for another family photo! :)
With Rodwin, his former social worker.
Playing with his pal
So much love for everything in this shot!!!
More pics from Monkey Town, Gordon's Bay, and the Farewell Party:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/suBOodfHqgTXuv9m1
More pics of Boulder's Beach:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SXpmvosMUuIAFQ9r1
Can you find Nemo?
Haha.
What're you looking at?
More pics from the aquarium:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gtiOkBb4zUAiGVXd2
Greeted by hot chocolate and sparking grape juice!
It was very windy and chilly!!!
We were very grateful for the blankets. :)
Off we go - WHEEE!!!
Can you spot the hippo noses???
Up close and personal with zebras!
So sweet to watch this mama with her foal.
Can you spot the springboks???
LIONS!!!
This part was amazing. We were sooo close!!!
Next up- giraffes!!!
Giraffes are in the background!
Saving the best for last- the elephants!!!
Maelee was in heaven. :)
At about 2.5 hrs long, it was just perfect for our crew- we loved it!
And of course, making the most of any play area around! :)
More pics from Delvera and other 4th week shots:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sKAtKcwX3OHEq48T2
Thursday was pretty huge as we made a morning trip to nearby "Monkey Town," another rescue/conservation animal park featuring hundreds of various primates and other animals that have been rescued or donated for various reasons. The highlight of that visit was Maelee's, Lilee's, and my encounter with squirrel monkeys! We got to feed them as they ate out of our hands and jumped on our heads. Eek! It was a riot though and the girls thought it was hysterical!
Funny video below of a monkey going from Maelee to Lilee, then jumping on my head while I was trying to record!
Quick seafood lunch overlooking the gorgeous Gordon's Bay!
After a very short "rest" on Thurs, we headed back to Ollie's former orphanage for a farewell party. It was a little tough for him at first as I'm sure it was all pretty confusing. There were some quiet tears but after lots of reassurance and some cupcakes, he was good to go! :) I think he especially enjoyed seeing one of his good pals, and while it is always heart-breaking for us to go there as all of these precious children need and deserve homes, we were so glad it worked out. The girls dive right in playing with all of the kiddos and Maelee was especially patient as they all swarmed around her to do her hair. It was an afternoon filled with thanksgiving on many levels!
More pics from Monkey Town, Gordon's Bay, and the Farewell Party:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/suBOodfHqgTXuv9m1
Friday we got to take advantage of another "must-do" before we left: see the penguins at Boulder's Beach! It was another longer drive, but definitely worth it. The penguins were adorable, but we were absolutely blown away by the beauty of the beach and scenery. Just stunning. The kids LOVED playing in the water, and Ollie and Lilee could've stayed there being chased by the waves forever. :) Maelee got very brave climbing on the big boulders (and quite frankly, I think mama was quite brave not completely freaking out by it!!!) and we all loved this excursion.
More pics of Boulder's Beach:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SXpmvosMUuIAFQ9r1
The chilly weather on Saturday made it a great chance to visit the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Cape Town Waterfront, and a good opportunity for my mom and I to finally pick up some souvenirs! The girls always love aquariums and Ollie was flying from one fish exhibit to the next- he was definitely in awe! All in all though, the play space won out as his favorite part :)
Can you find Nemo?
Haha.
More pics from the aquarium:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gtiOkBb4zUAiGVXd2
Today, Sunday, was definitely our biggest adventure of all. While it would've been amazing to go on an African safari somewhere out in the bush, there were many factors that didn't make that possible... For one, there aren't any near Cape Town; secondly, many only allow children older than 6 on drives and very few allow under age 4 (with hardly any allowing under four and we certainly couldn't leave poor Lilee out!); and finally, we have tried to be very careful and responsible with our budget, given the real purpose of this visit after all!
Additionally, we found out last week when applying for Ollie's passport that this last step of the process could end up moving VERY fast, with out time in Johannesburg being only a couple nights (much less than we were expecting!), so not only would that make a safari further north out of the question, but it also made most sense to look for an half-day drive close by.
So, the Aquila Game Reserve fit the bill!!! Just two hours away (although it took over 3 hrs to get home due to an accident...), it allowed children of all ages to participate and still promised viewings of the "Big 5" (lions, hippos, rhinos, elephants, and wildebeests)! The hippos were underwater so we only saw their nostrils peeking out, and the rhinos were sleeping and looked like massive rocks until we saw them lift their heads, but it was an amazing experience and each kiddo had a blast!!!
The six of us sat in the back of the truck so there was giggling pretty much the entire trip as it felt like a roller coaster ride with all the bumps and turns. :) Lilee, especially, was hilarious! She just cracked up. Maelee and my mom had a grand ole time talking about various things (including "blueberry poop!"), and Ollie was awesome. He loved everything he saw (especially the giraffes- yay!) and we were so proud of him!!! Of course, he was tickled to have a little time in their play space at the end, haha.
This part was amazing. We were sooo close!!!
Next up- giraffes!!!
Giraffes are in the background!
Maelee was in heaven. :)
At about 2.5 hrs long, it was just perfect for our crew- we loved it!
What an incredible experience. So grateful for Nana & Pop-Pop for it!!!
More pics of our drive below!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bvlCZYqZBYIbNAeU2
And again, whew! It really was quite a week. There is the chance we could be leaving the country by the end of this week though (PRAY!!!), so we are trying to get it all in. It's impossible to see it all though, and it's leaving us so anxious to return to this amazing country many years from now at a different stage. It will certainly always hold such a special place in our hearts for SO many reasons!!!
And finally, an absolutely awesome, absolutely hilarious video of Ollie is below. Sometimes when he is giddy and giggly, he will let out the funniest "aah!" and we finally captured it on video one evening when he was looking through our little character "emotion" flip book with Maelee. Oh, how we love this kid!!!
Awesome video of Ollie cracking up:
(And... anyone who actually got through this entire post deserves a medal!!!)
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