a SWEET Mother's Day weekend!

We have been very fortunate to experience another beautiful weekend in Cleveland! On Friday afternoon, after getting home from work, with the temperatures hovering in the upper twenties (Celsius), Liesel, Nathan and I headed to the beach! This was a time I wished I had my camera with me, as on this day, the sky was exactly the same color as the lake! There was no horizon, the sky and water seemed seamlessly fused together! The water seemed to go on forever. It was actually quite eerie (pun intended)! Nathan seemed to love playing in the sand and the icy water. This was evident by his slow, but steady progress deeper into the water. AT first he stood at the water's edge and dipped his hands into the lake. A few moments later he was standing ankle deep in the water with his sandals immersed. Finally, he decided it would be best if he lay in the water on stomach! Boys will be boys!

Saturday was our productive day! We began by buying Nathan a musical potty, as part of our new drive to potty train him. This potty senses if anything was "done" in it, and if so, plays a nice melody as a reward for you! Well, that's the theory anyway, we will see how well the practical application fares.... Our next store was one that I could have literally spent a number of hours comfortably in! It was a mattress store - and there were about 8 different types of beds for us to test doze! The beauty of these shops is that you are encouraged to climb onto each bed, move around and get comfortable, and then lie there for a while! Something I could get very used to! After about half an hour, Liesel and I settled on a bed (pun intended) and ordered it! We are looking forward to taking delivery of it tomorrow morning!

That afternoon, I took Nathan to the local park, while Liesel stayed home to try her luck at making a South African favorite dessert, koeksusters! She received the recipe from a South African friend in South Carolina. Upon our return from the playground, we were just in time to help finish off the koeksuster creation process! They were absolutely delicious, and I think they may be fully responsible for the extra 5 pounds that I have put on ;-)

Then came Mother's Day! Nathan and I were very happy to give his mama some gifts in the morning, which she loved! Nathan gave her a beautiful charm bracelet, with little charms that say "#1 Mom", tiny hearts, a little boy and girl, and some others!
Later in Church, as a tribute to Mother's they showed a whole number of answers that kids in the Sunday school gave, when asked why they love their moms. It was a wonderful surprise, to see the answer a certain Nathan McCarthy, aged 2, said: "I love my mom because.. 'she always comes back for me!'". When we got home from Church, we made numerous free phonecalls worldwide, thanks to Skype! In honor of Mother's day, they gave all people in the USA with Skype, 200 minutes to speak to anybody in the world, absolutely free! We always love talking to family and friends, and being able to do it all in one day was extra special!

As the day drew to a close, we had the idea to go and buy some delicious slices of cheesecake from the American Cheesecake Factory for dessert with our dinner. Liesel had her favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, while I went with the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake! We savored these rich, decadent treats, and decided to stop halfway. We, of course, gave Nathan a couple of bites as all good parents would. However, Nathan seems to have inherited his insatiable desire for chocolate from his father, as he helped himself to a huge helping of my cheesecake behind my back. The next thing, Liesel and I notice that Nathan is not looking too good anymore, and it looked to me as if Mount St Nathan's was about to blow! I picked him up and as I carried him towards the bathroom, he erupted with a thick chocolaty lava all down my front. As a true, good husband, I ensured that Liesel's Mother's day outfit was left unsoiled, as I took all of Nathan's dessert upon myself ;-) And that is how my weekend came to its end.....