Fool in the Rain

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” Robert Kiyosaki

26 hit me like a foot through a broken play set platform, simultaneously saving my daughter from falling 6 feet to the ground and a subsequent neck injury.  Happy Birthday to me.  Have no fear, all is fine, just a series of unfortunate events from our recent trip.


Got your attention?  Ok, let's start from the beginning...

Our camping trip to Wilderness was a long awaited one for Dana and I, a chance to have some peace and quiet (or at least during Sophiya's nap and bedtime that is...), relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings.  Being the planner I am, I booked far in advance, we had all our gear ready to go and we were on the road!  Sophiya was surprisingly content in the car for a five hour drive, all was going so well.






By the time we got to our campsite the weather was misleadingly sunny and warm.  Wilderness National Park is absolutely stunning, campsites right on the river, impeccably clean, many different bird species, tons of hikes to choose from and canoeing (one thing I was really keen to do). 




We set everything up, had some dinner and by the time Sophiya was ready for bed, suddenly the clouds started to cover and wind picked up during our late night fire time.  "It's a bit chilly huh babe?" I say to Dana, but we just put on extra layers and cut the fire time short.  "It won't be this cold tomorrow, right?"


Long story short, the next couple days were absolutely miserable rainy, cold weather, in Fahrenheit terms for all you N. Americans reading, probably an average of 40s with even colder wind....  Those of you that think that Africa doesn't get cold, it definitely does.  (My birthday celebration/accident was somewhere in there). After debating back and forth about what to do, we ended up throwing in the towel and driving back to Cape Town to our warm home, a hot bubble bath and comfortable beds.  It wasn't fair for our little Sophiya to suffer in that cold, Dana and I also came to the realization that we are fair weather campers, and ok with this.  


Although we enjoyed our cozy time as a family (to a point) of laying in the tent listening to the rain and wind outside, cuddling together, reading stories and playing with Sophiya, this only lasts so long with a one year old in a constricted space.  Gone are the days (I suppose temporarily) that Dana and I could just grin and bear the harsh weather, sleep all day, read our novels, play card games and have philosophical conversations for hours to pass the time.


But that's life, huh?  Life doesn't always go as expected, but you do your best to make the most of the situation.  Not everyday is rainbows and sunshine (literally).  And that is ok.  Sometimes you plan and plan, and plans get thrown out the window.  I have to constantly remember this in my own life, as I'm always trying to make sure everything is order and just right, but this isn't always the case and often, you don't have control over it all!

All in all, we enjoyed being together as a family, some downtime, laughs and at the very least another beautiful drive through the Garden Route.


On a happier and much more enjoyable note, Easter Sunday was very fun for Sophiya.  She gathered her little egg trail to her Easter basket and was delighted with the contents.  New bath toys, African animals and a mini book collection.  She loves the mini books because they are perfectly sized for her hands and make for good distractions during car trips!

 

The egg open up to different shapes and colors and were almost more exciting then the Easter basket goodies!

 

She looks like a little diva in this one... Speaking of attitude, we can't be sure, but there has been a couple times where she has said "No" in perfect context while shaking her head. 

 She's got a full set of teeth in the front now and she is using those pearly whites to her advantage daily!  As she is understanding more and more, you can tell her to smile and she'll give you one of her crooked, heart melting, cheese ball smiles that we just can't get enough of!  Her sense of humor is growing and she'll find things funny like when I accidentally drop a spoonful of her cereal on my clean pants, if Daddy bumps his head with her toys while being silly or if she lets out a little toot and realizes it came from her!!

 These toddler days are ones of emotional ups and downs.  It is ever more apparent that parenthood presents you with the most challenging days of your life as well as the most joy and happiness that you could never have experienced without that little one present.

Her empathy and sympathy is also emerging as she's been very sensitive to times where I have suffered an injury (like cutting my finger while cooking on our trip) and she will point to the cut and look worried or give out a little whimper like she understands that it is pain or hurt.

One very cute thing that is happening recently is that anytime she may have a bad fall or bump, she will immediately hold out her index finger in exclamation of her injury, every time....  so even if it's the head or knee hurt, the index finger comes out first and that is the one that needs to be kissed "all better".  

 Sophiya's Party Trick (and Dad's)

"How old are you Sophiya??"

It is also becoming more and more obvious that she is unmistakably a girlie girl.  She loves clothes, shoes, accessories and her newest fascination, Mom's makeup bag.  She does a runway walk when she has on a new outfit, clip in her hair, necklace around her neck or shoes never worn on her feet for the first time.  It's absolutely hilarious.  She knows the word "pretty" as we use it everyday to compliment her on something new she's added to her outfit.

We only wish we could share her with those of you so far away from us.  Hope you all enjoyed a very Happy Easter weekend and we love and miss you!