December 30, 2011 by Dad.

The end of 2011 and the end of Celeste and Frederik’s visit. Cezanne was quite sad to see them go, and admitted that she was going to miss them. We took a few photos out back of the family and here are the few that made the cut.

Cezanne swinging. The Steyns, Cruywagens and Lamberts.

Happy New Year ! We hope you all have a wonderful 2012 !

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December 28, 2011 by Dad.

What ? Another trip to the beach ? Do these mid-westerners ever tire of the sunny mild days here in California ? Everyday seems good enough to be called a beach day

Actually the in-laws ( mother, father and sister ) went “wine tasting” so we had a day to ourselves again and wanted to get out of the house as it was really a beautiful day - mid 60s F in December !! Eat that Chicago !

We first had lunch at a place on the beach and then found a spot on the sand and released the kids. It was already quite late in the day and the sun had started setting so the light was not great for photos, but in a matter of minutes my subjects had given me over 200 images and a couple of real gems ( especially Etienne - coming soon ).

It was really tough for us to tell if Cezanne had a good time, you be the judge

To say this child enjoys the beach, the sand and just being outside would be a major understatement ! I think if she could she’d live on the beach - just don’t give her any ideas, at least not yet !

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December 25, 2011 by Dad.

 Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk !

 A good spread this year !

Thanks to Ouma and Oupa & Aunty Celeste and Uncle Frederik who’s gifts added to the pile.

Cezanne opens gifts and delights in the spoils of Christmas.

Julie (her American Girl Doll) got new shoes (including a pair of ice skates) and a carry case !

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas !

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December 17, 2011 by Dad.

As luck would have it we ran into Santa (again) at the local firehouse here in Dublin. We walked over to see the jolly fellow and take some photos. Cezanne and Etienne got helmets and badges and were thrilled to see Santa and the fire engines.

Cezanne got to see a boy friend from her class and we got to tease her about it

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December 11, 2011 by Dad.

Lanelle’s mom & dad arrived to visit at the beginning of December and we decided to take them into the city (San Francisco) and show them the beach and bridge so we returned to Baker’s Beach on a much colder windier day. Cezanne and Etienne love the beach despite the weather and had just as much fun this time round. After some time on the beach we went to get some lunch and bumped into Santa ! What a lucky surprise ! We enjoyed our lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf and then went to see the giant Gingerbread House at the Fairmont Hotel. Cezanne got a chance to write Santa another letter and mailed it from the lobby of the Hotel.

Baker’s Beach & Golden Gate Bridge, Cezanne enjoying the sand…

Cezanne on the beach in December, only in California !!

Baker’s Beach & Golden Gate Bridge, with Mommy & Etienne

Santa in San Francisco @ Fisherman’s Wharf - lucky surprise !!

Cezanne and Etienne at the Fairmont in San Francisco

Cezanne writing and then mailing her second letter to Santa

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December 10, 2011 by Dad.

It was time for the annual photo shoot for the Christmas card. Armed with lots of patience and very little expectations I got stuck in and just had the kids play and then pose in front of the tree. Lanelle had seen an idea to use blackboards to carry the message and by splitting the message in two it made the job of getting the perfect shot a little easier since only one kid was in the shot at a time - only one set of eyes needed to be looking at the camera - it worked !

Cezanne loves to pose and so her part in all of this was easy.

Merry Merry Christmas 2011

Etienne and Cezanne playing in front of the tree - this play soon led to a fight which I just had to capture and add to the card - enjoy !

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November 24, 2011 by Dad.

Well it has been quite a year and we have much to be thankful for.

Most importantly though, that we are healthy and together as a family !

I hope you were able to find a moment to be thankful for the blessings of 2011…

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November 20, 2011 by Dad.

Lanelle wanted to create a place for the kids to draw without needing paper and paint or markers or crayon or anything that would result in a rather large mess. She settled on chalk boards and initially was planning on just painting the top of the breakfast table with chalkboard paint but I steered her in the direction of a section of wall rather. We thought it through a little and then decided that it would be neat if the boards were magnetic as well. We then found large oil drip pans for a couple of bucks ( $5 ), painted then with black chalkboard paint, cut holes for light switches and attached to the walls. Now each kid has a blackboard and a place to express themselves when ever they want without needing paper or paint or markers or crayons or …

Just a few days to Thanksgiving and Lanelle and Cezanne setup some seasonal decorations around the house.

The project from above, used as it was intended - imagine that !!

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November 13, 2011 by Dad.

Lanelle found a very clever idea for a book shelf for the kids while reading one of her many blogs she subscribes to. I’d call it an addition but since reading is good for you and we got the idea and plans for this pretty cool project, I’ll just leave it there…

Basically the shelf is a plastic rain gutter attached to the wall using the brackets and enclosed with the end caps. So 1 trip to Lowe’s, a 10 foot gutter, 6 end caps, 6 brackets and a couple of screws later and “ta da !”

I later caught Cezanne and Etienne sharing the bean bag and actually reading in their new book nook !

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October 31, 2011 by Dad.

So as I mentioned in the last post, Cezanne and Etienne were Candice and Perry the Platypus from the Disney show Phineas & Ferb.

Cezanne as Candice, Etienne as Perry, the “real” Perry and Candice.

Lanelle made some cool new decorations this year - milk jug ghosts and we put them out front to light the path for all the trick or treaters. Cezanne and Etienne needed to be in the shot and then Cezanne got silly.

Silly, Sillier, Silliest ?

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