Milestones achieved!

This week saw many different milestones being reached, some more significant than others. Firstly, on Tuesday I got my Honda back from the body shop. I was very impressed by the service I got from my insurance company! Now I just have to wait and see how much my insurance rates will be going up......

This weekend, we managed to complete our work on our mini-project! The final paint touch ups on the walls, the assembly of a new headboard, the installation of the new curtain rail and curtain tie backs, means that the guest bedroom is 100% complete! On Saturday, we picked up the headboard from a local shop and it took me the remainder of the morning to put it together. However, the finished product is exquisite, even if I do say so myself!

The other milestone that morning belongs to Nathan. We purchased a new booster seat for Nathan - as he was outgrowing his car seat pretty quickly. We knew that he was happy with his new seat when he told us, "This is awesome!" He is loving the added independence that comes with his seat, as he now buckles himself in and unbuckles it when it's time to get out! It won't be soon now when he is driving himself.... sigh!

On Saturday afternoon, Liesel made our local fire station some chocolate chip cookies, and Nathan and I delivered it to the fire station. The firemen were very appreciative and took us on an impromptu tour of the fire station. Nathan loved every second spent in the fire station and listened carefully to every word the fireman spoke!

On Sunday, the McCarthy clan headed to church like usual. We had a good service and some excellent worship and soon headed back home for a more relaxed afternoon. It was good to speak to family as well, especially having my mom being able to hold a conversation with Nathan for the first time in a long time. She commented "Nathan is speaking with quite an American accent!". Hmmmmmm - could that be because he is being raised in the USA????

Now that these milestone's are behind us, the next challenges lurking around are waiting to be tackled. The next mini-project is to do the baby's room and turn the chaos in the photo below into a tranquil haven that a baby (and it's mother) will love!!!



P.S. The top and bottom photos were taken by Nathan!! Photography seems to be another talent of his!

No rest for the weekends!

Before I continue with my regular weekly round-up, I have an announcement to make. Each Monday for the past 10 weeks or so, I have been playing beach volleyball in the Cleveland Intermediate 4's Co-Ed volleyball league. The four of us played 21 sets of volleyball in 7 matches. Of those 21 sets - we only lost 1, which positioned us as the top seeds for the playoff's! This past Monday had us in the semi-finals and final, and I am pleased to announce, that we only lost one more set in the semi's but then went on to win the finals in straight sets! So we are officially the Cleveland Intermediate 4's Co-Ed volleyball champions! That was the best way to start off the week!

Nathan's highlight for the week came on Wednesday evening when we took him to our local Costco (USA's equivalent to Makro). This was the evening when Costco were saluting our local heroes and had the US Coast Guard with one of their boats, the Avon Police K-9 Unit, with canine officer Lennox, and two fire trucks from the Avon Fire department! Nathan and I got up close and personal with The US Coast Guard boat and Nathan loved getting behind the wheel. Then we were introduced to Lennox the police dog, and his handler. It was not long afterwards when the two fire trucks pulled up with lights flashing! A rescue truck and Avon's brand new ladder truck were there for us to climb on, and explore to our heart's content. It's times like these that I am so thankful to have a 3 year old son like Nathan, as it would be rather odd if I were alone and jumping in and out of the fire trucks!!



Since we had a lot of fun during the week, it made sense that the weekend would have a different overtone. On Saturday morning, I polished my guitar and replaced it's 14 month old strings (who knew that you should change you strings every 3 - 4 months).... My next task was to mow the lawn, both front and back which took up another 75 minutes of my morning! With sweat dripping from my brow - I made my way inside for a quick bite of lunch! Before the food had barely made its short trip down the oesophagus, I headed to the guest bedroom to put the finishing touches on the paint job that I had started months back! Unfortunately, I ran out of paint, but I had plenty of water - so Liesel's SUV was begging for a wash. I find there is no better way to bond with your son than by handing him the hosepipe while you wash the car. That will teach you be to patient, tolerant, and most of all how to survive hypothermia! Thankfully the temperature outside was approximately 27C (80F) - so I definitely do not recommend this bonding activity in the winter!

I slept deeply that night - so much so that my alarm plucked me out of my dream world at 6:45 am to remind me to get ready for church. I was playing this week, and it just so happened that our pianist took ill and couldn't make it. This thrust most of the musical responsibility onto my shoulders, but with God in total control, we pulled off a good set! The rest of the day was laid back with Nathan even taking an well deserved nap this afternoon! On Friday evening, we went for a walk around the neighborhood again, and he came along with his new bicycle. We didn't make it all the way, but it was a great sight seeing my son propelling himself along the sidewalk! o him, that was an intense workout - and it showed as he fell asleep in record time that night!

Weekend workouts and some wicked winds

This weekend marked the start of something good for the family. We kicked-off our family block walk - where we walk the 1km long sidewalk around our neighborhood. Well, Liesel walks, and I push Nathan in his little red car at varying speeds. The intent was to go at walking pace so that Liesel and I could converse, however Nathan has developed an insatiable appetite for speed. So the majority of the leisurely walk is filled with requests such as "Dad, I want to go fast!" So, being one who does not want to let his offspring down, I head off at a jog, pushing Nathan as I go. Then I remember the objective of the walk was to be able to chat with my wife, so we double back and head back to Liesel. And this is when the little speed freak starts nagging his father again....
So the family block walk is turning out to be quite a workout for yours truly, but I don't really mind because
a) I know this weather will not be as pleasant as it is now - so we need to take advantage.
b) I seriously need a semi-regular workout as currently my only major means of burning calories is my Monday night volleyball games which come to an end tomorrow.

This weekend was a pretty average one. Liesel headed off to a kids sale early on Saturday. She has an incredible eye for good deals and managed to get us and the baby a Graco Stroller System complete with baby carrier that locks onto a base that you attach to the car's seat. She also bought Nathan a child's BMX with training wheels that he absolutely loves. He is currently in the process of understanding the mechanics of a bicycle! Later that morning we went out a got a queen bed for our guest room. With two bedrooms standing empty for over a year now - it's starting to get a more homely feel, now that we have a nursery and a guest room! So we have a comfortable room for all our visitors from South Africa and here in the USA! We no longer need to pitch a tent outside for you :P So start packing your bags!!!!!

Our Sunday was much quieter! We made an appearance at our church in the morning and then returned home. Nathan suggested we go for another walk around the block, and we were happy to. I got another good workout returning red faced and dripping with perspiration since our humidity levels are in the high 90's! After that we retreated to the comfort of our home. Later on, Liesel had to go to the church again as she had a MOPS event there. Nathan and I spent some time outside - and I decided it was a good time to mow the front lawn. I was very well aware that the remnants of Hurricane Ike were due over Cleveland later that day. As the forecaster's predicted we got our fair share of gale force winds that literally shake the house! These winds - as strong as they were, were only a fraction of what was experienced in Texas 48 hours earlier! It makes me grateful for the relatively stable weather systems that Cleveland has. Now that the winds have subsided, I can head for bed and brace myself for another week of work!

First Day of (Pre) School!!

Thankfully, this weekend had much less drama and excitement than last weekend's! However, our week did have its share of drama.....
On Tuesday, Nathan donned his new backpack, and together with his mom, went to his pre-school for the very first time! At the school, Liesel was allowed to accompany Nathan for his first day. He really enjoyed himself then and eagerly awaited his second time, which happened to be on Thursday! The difference on Thursday is that Liesel would no longer be at Nathan's side, and instead of just one hour - he would be there for two and a half hours. So as Liesel anxiously delivered Nathan to his school for the second time, she silently wondered how our boy was going to cope. She did not know it, but he was soon going to give her an answer. She pulled up to the entrance of the school, where a teacher came to collect Nathan from the car. Nathan took the teacher's hand as they both walked into the building together, and didn't even once look back at Liesel for re-assurance. It was then that she realized that Nathan is growing up much faster than we, as his parents, are prepared to let him.....


Another noteworthy event for us this weekend, was our tour of the hospital's Birthing Center - where Liesel will be giving birth to the first US Citizen in the McCarthy household! The first word that I can think of to describe the center is: IMPRESSIVE! It is at least 8 times larger than Flora Clinic's maternity ward in South Africa where Nathan made his entrance into our lives. Here the 3rd floor contains the actual birthing wards. Each mother-to-be is given a private room - complete with private shower and jacuzzi bath. Then when the time comes - the mother will give birth in her room - as the room has all the necessary equipment to deliver, including a warming bed for the newborn! Then after a couple of hours of recovery, the mom and baby are transferred to the fourth floor, where they complete the prescribed course of bed-rest. They have a state of the art nursery where the babies are cared for while mom can get some much needed sleep! Nathan enjoyed this part of the tour the most as they wheeled a baby - not much more than a couple of hours old and weighing 6lbs (2.7kg)- to the viewing window of the nursery. We could see Nathan was intrigued by this as we saw him comparing his hand to the baby's. He did ask a couple of times if that was his baby brother :) If only it were that easy!!!!