5/3/2016

Our Dearest Savannah

Today is your 16^th Birthday and your Dad and I wanted to take a few minutes to remind you what an amazing young woman you are.  We are in awe of how much we have experienced together as a family and how much you have changed our lives in these very fast 16 years.

While you are on the brink of adulthood today, we wanted to take a few minutes to look back and remind you of all the things we treasure about you.

We remember how surprised we were when we learned we were pregnant with you and all the wonders and worries of becoming first time parents.  We remember the night you were born and how chaotic things seemed for a minute as we wanted to make sure you arrived safely. 

I remember when I finally got to hold you for the first time and truly be alone with you.  You opened your eyes and looked into my soul and I knew you were probably one of the wisest people I had ever met.  On that night 16 years ago you gave us the new titles of Mom and Dad and we had never been so happy and so scared all at the same time.

By day you were an absolute joy as a baby with your perfect round, bald head, big brown eyes and sweet chubby cheeks.  I remember it taking forever to go to the store or run errands for all the people who would stop to greet you. 

By night you made sure your Dad knew who was now in charge as he walked around our little apartment endlessly trying to get you to stop crying.  Turns out you just loved to cuddle and cuddle we did for nearly two years until you finally made it to your own bed.

As a toddler you were so precocious and sweet.  You engaged with anyone and everyone that came your way.  You looked at everything with wonder and curiosity and you made everyone around you feel loved. 

By age three you had discovered music and had a natural rhythm and would dance pretty much anywhere and everywhere you could. 

You became a big sister for the first time and I could not have asked for a gentler, sweeter child for us to enjoy our new baby with.  You never complained and were always helpful and kind to her.  Shelby adored you from day one and while there are days at the moment that may not feel like it, that bond is forever and I know will carry you two in the future.

In the first grade you had discovered fashion and were always so complimentary to others.  I remember adults commenting, “Well if Savannah liked it, I must be looking pretty good today.”

Then after years of turning pages, you fell in love with books.  Your talent for reading was like nothing we had ever seen.  You could not read them fast enough yet knew every detail there was to enjoy on each page.  We envy this skill of yours and truly believe it will take you far in life.

Not long after you became a big sister once more and took everything in stride.  During a time that was filled with so many emotions for our family you continued being your sweet self, even as you navigated your own challenges.  Sydney truly looks up to you and we treasure the moments we see you taking care of her.

Above all this, what we love about you Savannah is that you are so smart and witty, you are sympathetic and caring, you are a daydreamer with a huge imagination and a hopeless romantic.  We are so proud of how brave you are when you take the stage and own each character you play. 

We think you are growing up into a wonderful young woman.  We are so proud to say we are your parents.  Yes we would like you to clean up your room and help around the house more but at the end of the day we know you are a good kid who means well.

These preteen and early teen years have had some highs and a few lows but you are always open to learning from your mistakes.  You keep an open mind and an open heart and listen to what we have to say.

In the blink of an eye you will be making decisions about your future and whichever road you choose and wherever your path may take you, always know that we will be here for you.  No matter what you will always be our baby.  We love you more than we can ever explain and can’t wait to see what the future holds. 

Happy 16^th Birthday Savannah

We love you!

Mom and Dad

Fantasy versus Reality

I have just had the most amazing opportunity bestowed to me and my husband Cary by our family. My mother blessed us with peace of mind to look after our children while we went away, meanwhile my beloved sister with the help of her friend made it possible for us to get all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, otherwise this would have never happened.


It was eight months or more in the planning. Would it work, wouldn't it work? Would all the elements come together for us to actually go all the way from Los Angeles to Cape Town? Well the answer is yes. And boy did it work. Just prior to the trip not even a blown up fridge, a stolen car and an impending cabin crew strike could deter us from continuing ahead with our plans. It was meant to be.

We set off from Los Angeles and went through London with something of a Motley Crew in tow. An OCD mechanic, an overstressed working mother of three, a bohemian manager, an efficient agent, a happy go lucky (except in the morning) call center supervisor. In London we collected an Internet Entrepeneur and a smiley, sunny plastic surgeon and off to Cape Town we went. All equally ready for a sunny vacation.

The fantasy was to arrive to glorious weather, a beach front accommodation adjacent to a potentially finished hotel. What we arrived to was a one hour car hire process, followed by a 15 minute walk with luggage to collect the car. Upon arriving at said accommodation, while the view was everything we had hoped and dreamed, the reality was that the adjacent construction site (clearly not even halfway done) was a bit of a let down. But regardless, we were in Cape Town and about to see our family after 5 long years.

In the fantasy we would timely surprise each family member individually with tears and laughter. The reality was that after 40 minutes of traffic and driving by the house, to find mother in law and niece in the driveway, we were just relieved to get out the car.

Surprised, she was. Women are always naturally more emotional than men but to see my mother in law running in a circle on the front lawn was quite something.

In the fantasy, my father in law would come home from work to find us in the lounge and be excited to see us. The reality was that Cary walked in on him stark naked in the shower and for the next 20 minutes he retreated in and out of his bedroom in some type of delayed state of shock.

The laughter and tears we receive from Cary's brother and sister-in-law are always what we are hoping for. As we have become adults I think the four of us understand the challenges we face as young married couples and parents and I believe they truly comprehend and appreciated when they realized we had come all the way to see them, what it means and what it takes to leave our children.

Meeting our nieces Hannah and Emma was a joy I can only compare closely with the love I have for my own children. To see my daughters blood relatives and appreciate their differences and similarities is something that was worth every mile travelled. Here the reality far surpassed the fantasy.

So after the surprises were over, what else do you do in South Africa except light a fire and have a braai. Lucky for us, Chad had already started this process when he had been called to his mothers house to fictitiously pick up Emma.

And so we began to Braai and the wine, beer, vodka and brandy flowed. Our crew were extremely patient and understanding, enduring hours of high decibal yelling as the Keown and Abrahamse family were clearly together and loud is their middle name.

In the fantasy, we will have a great time, get home, sleep in the next morning and venture off somewhere. The reality was that while we managed to rally to the waterfront, Cary played it safe, stayed home and nursed his bad hangover. There I knew the reality was he was never going anywhere the next day.... to be continued.....

Happy Thanksgiving....

In the chaos of this great holiday sometimes its difficult to slow down enough to reflect on what we are most grateful for. Fortunately I am blessed to not have to participate in any cullinary olympics today so I thought I'd take the extra few minutes I have to reflect what I am grateful for...

The obvious are my family, near and far, (Joanna, Auntie Katie and Auntie Jac:))close and distant.

My beautiful three daughters who continue to amaze me every day as they transform into their own personalities and individual beings.

My husband who is a great friend of mine who is reaching way outside his comfort zone to discover ....well many things.

My mother who is my rock and mainstay. Most people would think that is your husband but for me it is my Mom and Cary understands this too. She is always reassuring in times of stress and picks up when she knows I can't go forward. While she is very sensitive she is so strong and our lives would not be the same if we hadn't had these years with her. I love you Mom.

My beautiful, intelligent and sweet sister. She is an amazing woman with so much talent, beauty and charm, she just doesn't always know it. She is a wonderful Aunt to our girls and the best friend I have always needed.

My sweet girlfriends near and far who bring such an ecclectic wonder to my life. Carrie, Kara, Veronica, Lisa, Wendy, Amy, Clare, April, Janene, Silvia, Jenny, Michele, Petrea, Heather and my guardian angel Sarah....who will never know what you mean to me. Thanks for always listening when I need you and for making me laugh. You are each the sprinkles on my cupcake of life.

Then there are the physical things I am grateful for. I know it may sound weird but we really don't know how good we have it. Here is my laundry list of those mundane items that help so much:

I'm grateful to the Speers, Lyons and Matthes families for this beautiful home we live in.

My DVR which allows me to be a good mom and watch tv when\if I have time.

My iPhone that I would be lost without. So much entertainment at the palm of my hand :)

My computers. The comfortable mattress on my bed. My mineral powder which I really think may be a coping mechanism haha.

Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Email and the wonder of the digital camera. The world really isn't that big after all and these technologies help us stay close.

Modern medicine and the continued wonder and respect I have for the fact that my daughter is with us, healthy and happy (currently sitting across the room enjoying the sound of tearing pages of the new tabloid magazine I have not yet read!!!). That same technology which is keeping the precious baby Paul in his momma's belly as long as possible.

The progress of cancer treatment and how it was able to save my Evil Knievil Daddy who at the age of 71 after 6 months of chemotherapy decided to ride his motorbike to the Florida keys and back to see how far it was. That same technology which has saved my friend Gaia so she can mother her sweet babes and how I know it will save my new friend T as she begins her fight and conquers her cancer just so she can continue to kick my butt into shape.

For all of these things I am grateful to God. Lord I am so grateful for my choices I get to make every day and that I don't know what it is to go very hungry or cold.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Proud Moment...

Savannah, where do I begin to tell you how proud I am of you and what a privilege it is to be your mom. I hope as you grow older you will look back fondly at your childhood and see it as a happy time.

The truth is you have faced some pretty big obstacles in the past year or two (well we have as a family) but I feel like you have had to be almost the most resillient of everyone by changing schools, changing addresses and while you voice your concerns you never complain or refuse to do it.

Case in point of last night. Your Dad and I received a letter several weeks ago to let us know that there is a strong possibility that you may not get to attend the school we had in mind for you to complete fourth and fifth grade due to space availability. We thought that to assist you with the transition of changing schools it would be a good idea for you to go back to the place where you attended Kindergarten and First Grade.

We were so concerned at how you would react and feeling stressed ourselves at the prospect of asking you to make yet another change in your little life because of choices that we make for us as a family unit.

So now that the time is near for schools to resume session, we casually broached the subject last night at dinner. We explained to you that we received a letter and that while you will be attending the school district we had in mind, it might be at a different school location that only has 3rd, 4th and 5th grade but that we would know by the end of the week.

While initially I thought I saw the smallest amount of fear in your eyes, to our shock, surprise, delight and slight confusion, your response was this:

"Hmmm, well would it be okay if, once we find out, I can choose for myself? I kind of like the idea of going to a school with less grades and less people."

Your Dad and I were somewhat stunned and so we said sure you will get to decide. Our preference of course would be to have you and your sister on the same campus, however, how can we question your choices when you receive information so openly and willingly.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the end. We love you Savannah and are just so so proud of you.

Sydney Bean!

Sydney, why can't you stay this little forever, and love me this much for always? I love you my sweet and can't believe how far you've come, how much you've accomplished and how you remind me to live in the moment. I cannot believe in just three days you will be the tender age of 2!

And by the way, just for the record, you are a very willfull two, all fight and minimal cooperation :)

PS This picture was taken at Auntie V's Luau after you had been in the pool for way too long. You protested getting out even though you were three shades of blue! 8/8/09

I'm grateful for...

My beautiful family and how they make me smile even when they're sleeping...

My girlfriend Veronica and how she thinks of me, passes me her hand me down clothes and I feel like a million bucks in them...

My Wish list...

I wish I could get it together to scrapbook to document my daughters events and the precious memories I have with them.