I found my soul in Stanford: Part 1 (there are that many pictures & updates)

We went out to Stanford this weekend, and I feel so relaxed and content being back. It's great to get away and in to a different environment for a few days - even just for one night. We stayed at one of the Stanford Country Cottages and it was blissful. Quiet, charming, relaxed and very easy going. We had a nice little afternoon braai while the boys played in the sprinkler. Our garden at home is tiny, and there's not nearly enough space for them to run around, get lost, play hide and seek, explore or even kick a ball around properly. It was so good for them. 

We had loads of lazy tea times, a big home made country breakfast on the Sunday, paddled along the river in a canoe and visited the local market for fresh produce. We took a lot of long walks around the village and I wish that I'd taken the boys' bikes or even bicycles for us. You can't really do that in the city bowl anymore, not as a family. I really love the small-town village life, not a block of flats or double story building in sight. We could hear the Church bells from our garden on Sunday morning, and there is a big town square (a field) where you can run around, play cricket - whatever. Everyone was really friendly and down-to-earth. We loved it. The boys had a great time, although Noah was very apprehensive about all the spider webs. He kept looking for little spiders, wondering if one was going to crawl out from somewhere and physically attack him. MUST get my mom to tone down on the Spiderman movies. 

I told the boys that we were going to a little cottage and that it was where mice lived. I don't know why I said that - maybe thinking of Granny Mouse in the midlands. So they kept looking for the mouse too, which was pretty funny. They had such a great time and it was nice getting them out of their comfort zone. I'm not going to lie, they hated the canoe ride... I put these huge life jackets on them and the complained the whole time... little buggers. It was such a good trip. On Sunday we arrived at my mom's in Betty's Bay for a beeeeg family lunch of roast chicken, pumpkin, potato salad, bread, rice, gravy and baked cauliflower with cheese sauce. Then we all went sand boarding, which I am really good at as long as I don't stand up. Noah particularly loved it, we'll definitely do that again and I'll share those pictures later. 

Paul goes back to Joburg this week and I've already got a case of the sads - I really wish he lived here, you guys have been enjoying him so much. Things are changing again, and there's loads going on and I'm grateful for how full our lives are, full of reward and opportunity. I promise to organize more family time and adventure for us. I loved having you all to myself the whole weekend without your cartoons and squabbles at home. It was just perfect.