Week of wonderful!

After last weekend, I am happy to report that we were back on track to enjoy the run-up to Christmas, Christmas Day and the Christmas weekend! On Wednesday, Nathan and I had a boy's day out and spent most of the day at the Great Lakes Science Center. There, we watched an IMAX movie called "Prehistoric Sea Monsters", We were enveloped by the giant wrap around screen which seemed to bring the creatures to life around us. Afterward we had plenty of time to explore all three levels of the Center, with Nathan enjoying electrical demonstrations, operating a model train and raising a draw-bridge, landing a lunar module, and driving a remote lunar rover over a moon-like surface! The hot-air balloon, tornado, and sound demonstrations also captivated him. Reluctantly, we left the Center and headed home for dinner.


On Christmas Eve, The McCarthy family had the privilege of lighting our church's Advent Wreath during the Christmas Eve service. Liesel read a passage from Luke, beautifully, and I led the congregation in prayer. After my prayer, I handed the microphone to Nathan, who immediately finished it off witha confident "Amen!". The congregation absolutely loved it, and he received so many compliments afterward! We then headed home, had dinner, bathed the boys and once Josh was in bed, we gave Nathan the option of opening one gift, which he eagerly did! After discovering a Talking Microscope under the wrapping, he had a few minutes to try it out before he had to head to bed! When he was dreaming about Santa's visit later that night, Liesel and I went into the lounge and exchanged our gifts, in a quiet and candle-lit living room! This way, we could appreciate our gifts in a serene setting, and then on Christmas Day, we could focus on the boys, and be a part of their excitement as they rip the flimsy gift paper apart!

Nathan awoke around his normal time and came downstairs to wish us all a "Merry Christmas". After a couple minutes, his eye's suddenly lit up as he shouted, "I wonder if Santa ate my cookies?" and disappeared into the lounge! He was greeted by an empty plate, a note from Santa and a lot of gifts under the Christmas tree. So the rest of the morning was spent in the living room as Nathan made his way through the plethora of presents! His favorite presents were the Tonka Garbage truck he requested from Santa, and his Lego City Police Station that he got from Liesel and myself! The rest of the day was spent playing with his new toys and starting to piece his Lego City Police Station together.

That evening, we were invited to friends to enjoy a Christmas Dinner together. The food was delicious, the company delightful.

On Saturday, most of the day was spent playing with toys and building Lego prison cells. The weather was particularly nice - so that afternoon we all went for a walk around the neighborhood. That evening was famaily fun night, and Nathan chose to play the 3 new board games that we received for Christmas. It was 90 minutes of fun, playing Sorry, Blockus and Cariboo!



On Sunday we went to church as usual. Right after the service, a friend of mine took me to my very first Football game. We went to the Cleveland Browns Stadium, as he was a season ticket holder, to watch the Browns take on the Oakland Raiders! His seats were in a preferential position, right near the top, under a limited roof that is around the stadium. This was perfect for us, since it began snowing heavily during the game, but we were not affected. It was really cold, sitting there in 30 degree weather (-1C) for 5 hours. Luckily I had my extra layers underneath keeping me warm, as well as my woolen hat, snow gloves, and hood all playing their part in keeping hypothermia at bay! Even though it was cold, it was rewarding, as the home team put on a good performance and were victorious at the end of the game! Thanks for taking me, Jim! I had a blast!



What a great way to end a great week!

Low-key weekend

This weekend, the McCarthy family laid low. Unfortunately Liesel, Nathan and Joshua all came down with a bug during the week, with Nathan becoming the latest victim on Saturday night. So we spent most of the weekend at home. On Sunday, Liesel stayed at home with the boys as I was playing in the worship team. Since there is not much to report on, I have posted the McCarthy 2009 Christmas letter below!

Wishing all my readers and joyous and peaceful Christmas on Friday, and may 2010 be your best year yet!
God bless!

McCarthy's Christmas Letter 2009

As 2010 creeps ever closer, slowly nudging 2009 into the history books, what better time is there to reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness over the last 12 months. I recently heard a spiritual lesson that I would like to share with you. When going to sleep at night, we should not be counting sheep to aid in the slumber process. Rather, we should count our blessings and thank God for everything we have. How much better would it be to fall asleep with thoughts of gratitude than thinking of four legged wooly creatures!

So, here are some of the blessings that the McCarthy's have received in 2009:
For us, there is nothing better spending time with our beloved family. These opportunities are so few and far between, so we cherish every minute together with our loved ones! This year, we were doubly blessed!
Firstly, we were blessed to see the New Year in with Norman and Gabi! It was wonderful to have them spend a number of days with us, as they got to know their month old grandson more initimately. Of course, Nathan also loves every moment with his Opa and Gogo! Many precious memories we made together, indoors and outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are going sledding with his Gogo! We were also honored to have Norman and Gabi attend Joshua's dedication at our Church in January.
Then, God gave Gabi another opportunity to visit in July and August. Liesel was scheduled for some minor hand surgery. After the surgery, Liesel was not allowed to lift anything heavier than 2 pounds (1kg) for at least 6 weeks. We clearly had a problem, since I had full time job and Joshua was at least 10 pounds and immobile! So we put out a distress call, which Gabi answered! Within a few weeks, she was making her way westward across the Atlantic again. It was the first time Gabi had visited us in the summer. She got to see Nathan at his swimming lessons, go on a family cruise on Lake Erie, have fun at a kiddies' amusement park, enjoy backyard barbecues, and even spend TWO nights outside in a tent with Nathan!!! To this day, he still gazes admiringly at the photo of him and his Gogo in the tent, that now has its permanent place on our fridge.

Little Joshua, who is just over a year old now, has been thriving. With his attentive mom taking care of all his needs, and keeping him well nourished, he is a very happy boy! Currently he is in the 90th percentile for his height, so it appears he is taking after his Uncle Craig. Today, we affectionately call him Hurricane Josh, because of the destruction that he leaves in the wake of his explorations of the play room and his bedroom! He is also developing an affinity for books (like his older brother), and can often be found paging through a book, in the middle of a lake of literature that he has liberated from his bookshelf!

Nathan has been loving having a new playmate, even though there is a four year difference between the two. Josh has a special place in his heart for Nathan. This is evident every time Nathan walks into the room, or climbs into the car after school, Josh's face lights up with joy! And Nathan knows just how to get Josh to laugh, which soon turns into a non-stop chuckle-fest between the two of them!
Nathan is now attending preschool four days a week and is loving every minute of it! He has a driving desire to learn, which is why he loves trips to the library with Liesel. There, he'll pick out many non-fiction books and DVDs to feed his insatiable appetite for information! We are so very proud of him and Liesel does all she can to nurture his desire for knowledge!

The wonderful qualities that our boys possess can mainly be attributed to all the hard work that Liesel puts in into raising the two boys! We are so blessed to be in a situation where Liesel is able to be a stay-at-home mom, and the benefits are obvious. Besides being a full-time homemaker, Liesel has served in the leadership of our Church's MOPS (Mothers-of-PreSchoolers) ministry, and has also recently joined the Avon PTA. In July, she underwent some minor surgery to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome in her right wrist, which she had since being pregnant with Josh. As mentioned earlier, Gabi cleared her busy schedule and flew out here to assist us in so many ways. Liesel really cherished every minute with her mom, and some wonderful memories were made!

As for me, God has also blessed me in so many ways this year. Besides giving me a loving, healthy and happy family, I was blessed to be offered a job just 6 miles from our house! In this economic climate, it is undeniable that God's hand was involved in my getting this new job. This new position has me working closely with Google, and developing applications that take advantage of existing Google products. Because of this, I have had the privilege of visiting the legendary Googleplex in California, twice this year. What an enlightening experience it was to walk around the grounds of one of America's most admired companies!
My office environment in Westlake, is completely different to the huge corporate bank that I used to work for, especially when it comes to flexibility. I also now am blessed to come home for lunch on most days, and often am able to take Nathan to his afternoon preschool. God is good!
During my time away from work, I am blessed to belong to our church's very talented worship band, and love serving God in this ministry, with my fellow musicians!

These are just a few hand-picked blessings of the many we've experienced in 2009. We want to give God all the praise and glory for everything He has done, and continues to do for our family! We especially want to give Him thanks for the gift of His Son, who came to earth in the form of a baby, 2 000 years ago! We also give thanks for each and every one of you who have impacted (directly or indirectly) our lives over the past year. May you all experience the true joy of Christmas.

Until we meet again,
Grant, Liesel, Nathan and Joshua

Sights and Sounds of Christmas

Just 50 hours ago, I was stepping off my plane after the four hour flight from San Francisco! I had spent a week at Google, learning some very cool new stuff, that I won't bore any of you here with! I had a good time out west, but nothing beats being at home with the family! This weekend, we didn't celebrate Family Fun Night on just one night, in fact it was more like a family fun weekend!

On Saturday, Nathan's Pre-school presented their annual Christmas program. Liesel volunteered to assist with the food for the other "grades", so she got there at 11am. Nathan's "grade" (aka Extended Pre-K) was performing at 1:15pm, and I made sure I got him and Josh there with plenty of time to spare. Soon it was time for the show, and it was so cute. Nathan was adorable, singing and acting to the songs! See the video's below to prove that I am not overly biased :P Everybody had a great time, and Nathan thoroughly enjoyed putting on the show for us. After a couple of cookies afterwards, it was back home, to put Josh down for a power nap.




And a power nap it was, since 60 minutes later we were on our way to drop Josh off at our friend's place, as Liesel, Nathan and I had tickets to the Lake Metro Park's Country Lights festival! We had previously visited the lake Metro Park (about an hour east of us) in the Spring, and saw many farm animals (pigs, sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas), horses, and even a dog show! But this time the farm had decorated for Christmas! Upon our arrival, we boarded a horse-drawn wagon, and we were taken on a trip around their fields. The fields were lit up with thousands and thousands of Christmas lights. Most displays had a nursery rhyme theme, some of which were even animated! We saw, jack and the Bean Stalk, Little Boy Blue, Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Bo Peep, and Humpty Dumpty. Our favorite, was definitely the animated lights of the three little pigs, with their houses being huffed at by the big bad wolf!

After the wagon ride, we stood in line to enter Santa's Toy Workshop. Here each child can choose their own wooden toy from a huge variety of different models. There were planes, trains, automobiles, fire trucks, tractors and boats (to name a few) for boys, and just as many options that appeal to the girls. They are given a bag with all the parts for their selected toy, which they are to hand over to the "elf". So Nathan chose the airplane and soon an "elf" called him over to his workbench. Nathan sat beside him and was handed some protective goggles. Then the assembly of the airplane began. Nathan got to hold the trigger of the drill while the elf carefully made the necessary holes. The ever-so-trusting elf then handed Nathan a hammer, and got him to hit the nails into the airplane to secure the wings, wheels and propeller to the body of the plane. Nathan absolutely loved this!! Once he had assembled we could move to the next table where Nathan could paint his newly assembled toy! He painted the plane blue and red, and added some glitter for the finishing touches! He was so proud of his plane, and we were proud of him. We left the toy behind to dry, and made our way to see Santa Claus! After sharing his desires with Santa, we made our way to an indoor arena where a "Cowboy Christmas" was being enacted, along with their horses. Afterward we headed back to collect Nathan's airplane, and climbed into the car to find a restaurant - and then head back west to fetch Josh and then finally home!


On Sunday, we all headed to the 9am Church service. Liesel was on Nursery duty all day, which was unfortunate, as she missed the annual Cantata! The Cantata was absolutely spectacular, with full orchestra, forty voice choir, and hand bells! There is something special when singing your favorite carols accompanied by a brass section, strings, wind and percussion, not to mention the harmonies of the choir! This was a slice of what heaven will be like, I am sure!

(Photo taken by Dave Ercegovic)

On Sunday evening, Liesel had prepared a delicious roast of beef for us, along with her addictive Yorkshire puddings! Another taste of heaven :) After the boys had bathed, and Josh put to bed, Liesel myself and Nathan snuggled up together under a blanket and enjoyed the DVD, Up!

Oh yes! It's good being back with family!

Winter is starting to bare its teeth!

I am so thankful that I could complete my house's Christmas lights last week while the temperatures were in the 50s (10 C)! This entire week, there were only a couple of occasions when the mercury was brave enough to venture above freezing! So needless to say, we spent most of the weekend indoors!

On Saturday morning, Liesel attended the Providence Annual Women's Christmas Brunch, and had a wonderful time with friends! I spent the morning at home with the two boys, having plenty of fun. That afternoon, I headed out to one of our favorite stores to pick up some white fudge covered gingerbread men, and my personal favorite, chocolate truffles imported from France! Hmmmmmmmm........ Saturday was also our family fun night. We thought that it was a great evening to head out into Avon and look at some of the Christmas lights and decorations that people have put up. So we bundled into my car, turned the heat up and took a leisurely drive through some of the neighborhoods, and were pleasantly surprised by some people's efforts. We returned to the warmth of our house and began to watch Ice Age 3 - the Dawn of the Dinosaurs! Nathan chose to watch 30 minutes and then go to bed and have Liesel read some books to him instead. She happily obliged and then came back downstairs and the two of us finished watching the movie together.

On Sunday morning, it was all hands on deck from 7:30am onwards, as our church was having their annual Children's Christmas Program, featuring our very own Nathan. We made it to the church with plenty of time to spare, and even managed to secure some of the best "real estate" available (second row from the front - with no one in front of us). Nathan and the 5 year olds made their very cute, albeit brief, appearance! But he had fun, and that's what counts! Scroll to the bottom to see the video of his performance......



Once home, we had a delicious roast chicken for lunch, and then Nathan and Liesel went to the library, while I entertained Josh. When Josh's "sell by date" was surpassed, I put him down for a nap, and I started packing my bags for California! Tomorrow I am flying out to Google for some more training, leaving Liesel and the boys here to brace the first big winter storm :( I am disappointed that I won't be there to fire up my trusty snow thrower, so I had to show Liesel how to use "the beast".

And now I lay me down to sleep, as tomorrow morning I am being picked up at 7am and heading to the airport! I am also trying something completely new. I have signed up for a paperless boarding pass, which means that I have a special barcode that was sent to my iPhone. When I get to the check-in counter, I will place my phone (displaying the barcode) under the scanners, which should work as well as paper! Let's hope that works as well as it's advertised to.........

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good - Psa 107:1a

Thanksgiving is one of Liesel's and my favorite holidays here in the USA! It's a time for us to reflect back on the past year and appreciate God's faithfulness, and providence that He has lavished upon us. It's also a perfect opportunity for some quality time with the family, since I had the Thursday, Friday and weekend off.

For our Thanksgiving, we were invited to some friends who are originally from Texas. Since neither our friends, nor us, have family nearby to celebrate with, it was a great idea for our families to celebrate together! Nathan loved playing with Max, Owen and Sam (their three boys) while Josh entertained himself with books and cars on the carpet. Soon it was time for the Thanksgiving meal, and it was without a shadow of a doubt, the best Thanksgiving meal we have ever had! Our Texan friends, thankfully, do not follow the Thanksgiving tradition of preparing a huge turkey. Instead, we feasted on delicious steaks that were grilled to perfection by Jeremy! Restaurants should come to him to learn the art of perfecting the steak! The meat was so tender that it hardly needed a knife to cut it. Absolutely divine!! After the second helping of steak, dessert was readied in the kitchen. This consisted of Banana Cream pie, Pumpkin pie and chocolate brownies! This was a Thanksgiving of Note!

On Friday, we were awakened to a thin layer of snow covering our yard. This was our first snowfall of the season, and a gentle reminder of what we will be used to seeing within a few weeks! Unlike last year, I did not venture out to the stores before the sun rose, to take advantage of the store's Black Friday sales.... and spent most of the time at home. Later that day I did head out to get some more LED Christmas lights to decorate our house, and found that most of the crowds of bargain hunters had dissipated. That evening was Family Fun Night, and Nathan's choice was to play some board games, which is always a great family bonding activity!


By the time Saturday rolled around, the snow had melted and was long forgotten, as the sun shone brightly in the blue northeast Ohio sky! Liesel went out for breakfast with a friend and enjoyed some rare quality shopping time. I had the boys all to myself and kept them entertained for a few hours. Once Liesel returned home, I took my mower for its last spin around the yard, mainly to pick up the leaves that were covering the grass. Once that task was done, I moved the mower to the back of the garage, and parked my snow thrower in the premium spot that the mower occupied during the last 3 seasons! Inside, Nathan and I put up our Christmas tree, and started the process of decorating it! Once it was erected, and the lights tested, I headed up onto our roof to finish hanging the lights. It is quite a nerve-wracking experience hanging lights at the extreme edges of the roof, but at least the weather was dry and warm this time!



Another gorgeous day greeted us on Sunday, and we headed to the early church service. Later that afternoon, we headed out to Crocker Park to get some hot chocolate and walk around in the unseasonal weather. Nathan got to play with the train set at Barnes and Noble, and we got to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations, including the giant Christmas tree in the center. Can't believe December is a couple of days away!!!!

Finally, I want to wish my nephew a happy 7th Birthday today! I hope you have a great day Caleb!

Happy first birthday, Josh!!!

One year ago, I was getting Nathan, with his overnight bag, into my car and heading out into Cleveland's first snow storm of the season, after a frantic phone call from Liesel, informing me that Joshua was about to come into our world! This weekend, we celebrate a year of an adventurous, care-free, loving,and energetic life with our little hurricane, Josh!



Saturday was Josh's big day, and he was the first to wake up. Once all of us were awake, we moved to the living room and handed him his first birthday gifts to open. Of course, his older brother was on hand to demonstrate the proper paper ripping techniques! He seemed to enjoy his gifts, and was moving from toy to toy, trying to determine which was most fun. Being one year old, he could now enjoy certain privileges, such as a pancake for breakfast and his very first, birthday cupcake! Being his first cupcake ever, his dessert etiquette leaves much to be desired, as is evident in the photos!


Later that day as Josh took a nap to recuperate from all the excitement, I took advantage of the above average temperatures we have been experiencing, and started to put up our Christmas lights! I will not, however, be following local shopping complexes' example, by turning the lights on so early in the season. It will only be after Thanksgiving before I flip the switch to turn the festive lights on. We also had a chance to catch up with our families in South Africa using Skype! It's so much better for the grandparents and aunts to be able to see Joshua and wish him happy birthday"face to face"!

That evening, after supper, it was Family Fun Night, and Liesel chose to play board games as our activity! Liesel and Nathan shared the victories this time round......

On Sunday, it was a rare occurrence, that I was awake before everyone else, including Josh! The reason for that was that my alarm woke me up at 6:30am as I had to be at the church at 7:30 for worship team rehearsal. This Sunday was the first time that I played lead "electric" guitar for the team. The reason I put electric in quotes, was that I still played my regular Fender accoustic guitar, but this time I had an effects pedal which converted my guitar's sounds to that of an electric! I really enjoyed this new role, and loved seeing the face of the people in the congregation who were trying so hard to find out who was playing the electric guitar! After church, Liesel prepared another delicious roast for us, and then it was all hands on deck for getting the house ready for Josh's party at 3pm! Liesel catered and as always, served up a delicious array of dishes! She had everything from mini-quiches to a spicy buffalo hot sauce dip that accompanied tortilla chips. For the sweet tooth, she had cupcakes, her signature double chocolate chip cookies,and éclairs filled with custard to name a few!

At 3pm, our friends started arriving, and Nathan was thrilled to have four of his best friends spend the afternoon with him! Everybody had a great time, from enjoying the food, watching (but not enjoying) the Cleveland football team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and just hanging out and enjoying each other's company! Ah yes, it was a great weekend! Can't wait for Josh's second birthday :)

Enjoying it while it lasts!

After taking the garbage out onto our driveway tonight at 9pm, I realized that the days when I can do that barefoot and wearing a T-shirt are very, very few! There is a definite chill in the night air, but the day time temperatures that we are enjoying at the moment, are well above average for this time of year!

On Saturday morning, the McCarthy family went to explore the Westside Market in Cleveland for the first time. This quote from the Westside Market page at About.com sums it up perfectly: "The West Side Market, at the edge of Ohio City in Cleveland, is a cultural and culinary gem. Opened in 1912, the market combines graceful Neo-Classical/Byzantine architecture with a vibrant produce and meat, poultry, and dairy market. Not only is the West Side Market an interesting and fun place to visit, it's a great place to find quality groceries at affordable prices."

It truly does cater for every culinary taste, as some of the food was very "interesting". We saw ox tongue (which brings back memories of Christmas in South Africa), lamb tongue, lamb livers, lamb hearts, and pig's feet! There was also the entire body of a slaughtered pig in one of the butcher's display fridges. I wanted to take a photo, but I thought to myself, if they could proudly display what they did to that pig, then they probably could do something similar to a curious photographer with an accent! But fear not, for I have scoured the internet and found a photo of someone who was brave enough to take a photo at the Westside market!


The market also had dozens of bakeries, boasting baked treats, delicious breads and exquisite cakes. There were stores selling different varieties of cheeses, Chinese specialties, nuts and spices! In another building, as far as the eye could see, vendors were selling fresh produce, and offering free samples of their goods. Some vendors displayed their fruit and veggies artistically, while other vendors shouted out their specials as you walked past. This venue was packed with people purchasing produce, even at 9am when we arrived there. It's doors officially open at 7am, so that could explain why it was bustling 2 hours later! We did not buy anything exotic, but Nathan got a doughnut, and Liesel and I treated ourselves to giant crepe each, covered in sugar and lemon juice! It was about the size of a large pizza, but it was delicious, with everyone in the family, including Nathan and Josh, getting a taste of the mega-pancake!

As I mentioned earlier the weather was fantastic, and when we got home, we changed into short sleeved tees, and I started up the mower to pick up the leaves that were covering the grass. While I mowed, Liesel, Josh, and Nathan came outside and kicked a soccer ball around and just loved being outdoors! After I got done with the mowing, Nathan and I played with his radio control helicopter on the driveway. Mental Note: Don't play with a radio control helicopter on a driveway, because if it falls and hits the concrete, little, yet important (ie. tail rotor), pieces will break off!

That evening we headed to the shops to do some grocery shopping, and get some items needed for Josh's party next week. Then we returned home, had dinner, bathed Josh and cut his hair, put Josh in bed and then sat down to watch Disney's Earth movie for Family Fun Night. This is more of a documentary about animals on the earth, and about the circle of life. Needless to say, it wasn't Nathan's favorite, and when I took him to bed afterwards, his words to me were: "That wasn't very fun!". Documentaries have that reputation......

On Sunday, Josh had a runny nose as a result of his teething, so Liesel stayed at home with him, and Nathan and I went to Church. While at church, Liesel and Josh went for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. We enjoyed our time at the church, and when we came home, Liesel had prepared a delicious pork roast for us for lunch, and her famous hot, chocolate pudding!! Later that day, Liesel and Nathan headed off to the library, and left me at home with a sleeping Josh. This was the perfect opportunity for me to practice on my guitar piece for church next week! When Liesel and Nathan returned an hour later, I played with the boys in the basement, before dinner time. Then it was soon time to eat, bath and into bed :)



Josh sporting his new haircut, and Nathan posing behind his "Lego City"

... and now for one of my favorite photo's: Josh fully engrossed in a volleyball match on the TV! He stood there for about 10 minutes watching :) That's my boy!

Weekend workout

As I type this blog, I can hear my muscles protesting about what I put them through this weekend! The weather this weekend was at the polar opposite of what we had to endure last weekend! Beautiful sunny and warm days (very rare in November) were served to us, and we took full advantage of this anomaly.

On Friday evening, Nathan decided that he wanted to go have dinner at Max & Erma's for his family fun night. So I met up with Liesel and the boys there on my way home from work. The best part of the meal was the steaming hot chocolate chip cookies that were delivered on a baking tray at the end of the meal!

The real workout began on Saturday. I took Nathan and Josh with me to Home Depot to purchase a rake. We headed home and I put Josh into his stroller and positioned him in our front yard overlooking the ever-increasing collection of leaves on our lawn. Nathan and I then proceeded to rake up the fallen foliage into a heap by the curb. After about 15 minutes, Josh was quickly reaching his "nap by:" date and Nathan's interest in raking had waned, I took the boys inside and put Josh down for his nap. Liesel and Nathan started preparing that evening's dinner, while I grabbed a tin of paint and put the final coat of paint on our wrap around porch railings. That took me to 5pm when it was time to bath the boys as we were expecting friends over for dinner at 6pm. Our friends then joined us for a lovely evening, eating Liesel's homemade pizzas and topping that off with her double chocolate chip cookies (also straight out of the oven!) The rest of the evening was spent in front of the TV as my friend/Wii nemesis battled it out for first place in a number of different events :)

Liesel was on nursery duty on Sunday so she left for church early, giving me full custody of the boys. The boys and I got to church on time, and after dropping them off in the child care wing, I could sit back and enjoy the service. When we got home it was lunch time. Afterwards, Liesel and Josh settled down for their nap, and Nathan and I headed back out to the yard. We (98% me, 2% Nathan) turned the soil in one bed for Liesel to plant some bulbs, turned my compost heap, and finished raking the front lawn. A bit later when everyone was up, we went for a walk around the neighborhood because the weather was still enjoyable. This was the first time we put Josh and Nathan in the red wagon together (which I pulled), and the brothers seemed very happy with their close fellowship. Once home, I fired up my grill to cook us some chicken kebabs for dinner. That was a great way to close out this weekend, and celebrate the weather that accompanied it!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Josh

Josh watching me grill outside

Signs of winter are upon us

Cleveland's weather was surprisingly pleasant on Friday, with temperatures holding at 70(21C)! The sun was shining and the wind negligible... so it was the perfect opportunity to get the family out for a stroll (while Daylight Savings Time was still in place!) Not only do we (Liesel and myself) get some exercise, but it is also lovely to see the last of the tree's multi-colored leaves clinging desperately onto the branches!!

On Saturday, in terms of the weather, Monty Python had the most applicable saying that relates to us in Cleveland, "..and now for something completely different!" The glorious weather had dissipated, and the temperatures dropped 20F(10C) degrees overnight, rain clouds filled up the vacant sky and the wind made it's unwelcome return! The combination of rain and wind has now stripped most of the remaining leaves off the trees, leaving them bare and lifeless. I guess we have to get used to this sight for the next five months! Our morning activities consisted of a bit of grocery shopping, and some clothes shopping for me, as all my jeans had more tear than wear in them! Once we returned from the stores, I donned my cap, gloves, put my headphones on and headed into the yard with my trusty lawnmower. But with the rain from a few hours earlier, parts of my yard had been transformed into swampland!! You can imagine how much I love mowing in the cold air, with the wind blowing and my feet sinking into soft mud! At least, I had the best looking yard for the annual Halloween event.

Each year, our city has a strict time that children need to adhere to when they go trick or treating. At 6pm, Nathan was outfitted in his spiderman costume, and the two of us hit the neighborhood streets. Liesel and Josh stayed at home and dished out candy to everyone who came to our door. About 45 minutes later, Nathan decided that he had enough calories in his "pumpkin" and the cold air was penetrating his mittens and winter hat - so we turned around and headed home! By 7:30pm, the cut off time for trick or treating, the boys had been bathed and ready for bed.

October 31, besides being Halloween, was also the night that we adjusted our clocks an hour back (so now we are 7 hours behind South African time!) For most people, this meant an extra hour of sleep, but unfortunately our Joshua doesn't comprehend the significance of daylight savings just yet. I had to be at the church early anyway, since I was again in the band. This morning we did another song combining the talents of the Providence Orchestra, choir and our band, and it really was spectacular! Hopefully the recording of that song will find its way to the internet, since I know that our church was streaming live again today.

Even though the temperatures were cool, the sun was shining, and again there was no wind this afternoon. Later that afternoon we all jumped into the car and headed to the local recreation center for a brisk stroll, with Liesel pushing Josh in his stroller, and me pulling Nathan in his wagon. We also brought along his soccer ball and had lots of fun kicking it into the goal's net, and letting Nathan and Josh get their fix on the swings before heading home to a lovely roast for dinner!

Below is a video of Nathan at his pre-school, at their annual Halloween party! Enjoy :) Remember, Nathan is Spiderman.....

Life slowly getting back on track

This past week has been a chaotic one. If you remember from last week, Liesel's cousin arrived to spend a few days with us before jetting out of here on Saturday morning! So while I was going to work each day, Liesel, the boys, and Nicky would be heading out to some activity around Cleveland. These activities included apple picking, walks on the beach and exploring Amish country, two hours south of where we live! But Nicky thoroughly enjoyed herself, and loved taking photos, especially with her recently acquired 75-300mm zoom lens, that she ordered over the internet and received it the next day! Here are a couple of photos that she took ->




On Saturday morning, Liesel and Nathan took Nicky back to the airport and said their good-byes. On their way home, they stopped at Toys R Us, so that Nathan could spend his money that he got for his birthday and bought himself the Lego City Garbage Truck! The rest of morning, he was busy putting the truck together! He did a great job and did 99% of the entire truck without any assistance from me! I, on the other hand, had a crappy job (literally). Earlier, I had noticed that water was leaking out from the base of our guest toilet! After a little research on the internet, my diagnosis was that the wax seal at the base of the toilet was broken and had to be replaced. So I unbolted the toilet from the floor and lifted it off its base. Of course, Liesel saw this as a wonderful opportunity to give the area around the hole, a thorough cleaning, and promptly handed me a cleaning agent, and a cloth.... Good thing that I had my chemical resistant gloves on! This was not fun! Once the floor was sparking again, Nathan and I made a quick stop at Home Depot to get the replacement wax seal, and to buy a replacement bulb for Liesel's one turn signal that had given up its will to live. Once home, I quickly replaced the bulb in her car, and then fitted the new seal to the toilet and then struggled to place the throne back in its proper place over the hole! Who knew that this was so laborious!?!?! Next time, I'll have to get a friend over to help me...

I also removed the old, smelly and moldy caulk (silicone) from behind the kitchen sink, and laid down a new, much neater (and mildew resistant) silicone in its place! So after a hard day's work, I just wanted to lay back and relax in front of the TV, but we had one last thing left to do, bath the two boys. This turned out to be much more painful (literally for Nathan) than what we are used to. You see, Nathan was very constipated and was crying from the pain. So as parents, Liesel was going to deal with Nathan and I would bath Josh. I usually put Josh in the bath and wash him while I kneel on the floor next to the tub, but tonight I really needed to bath as well. So I quickly take off Josh's clothes and his diaper, and leave him on the floor while I go check on Liesel and Nathan. Not twenty seconds later, I find that Josh decided to wee on the carpet, and two of his favorite books! But wait, there's more! I take Josh to the bathroom and put him down there, while I run to his room to do some damage control, and when I get back in the bathroom, little Joshua had now pulled himself up to the toilet and was fishing some unflushed toilet paper out with his hands....... Eventually I get him and me into the bath and I wash him, and when its time to get out, Liesel who would normally take him from me, is still dealing with Nathan, so I had to get out with Josh, dry him and then proceed to get his pajamas on - all before I was even able to dry myself, let alone put some clothing on! FINALLY we were able to get both boys bathed and in bed! I was exhausted and headed to bed 2 hours earlier than normal for me! What a day!

I had to get up early on Sunday, as my team was playing for the services today. At church, I found out that our church was going to be doing a live video stream of its services via the internet today, and every week from now on! This was exciting for me, so I contacted my mom in South Africa and gave her instructions on how she would be able to see the live stream too! At the end of the service, I called her again, to find out how it was, and she said that it was lovely, and the sound was very clear, AND.... "why is your shirt untucked????". I could not believe, that my mother sitting in her home many thousands of miles away, could still tell me to tuck my shirt in! Anyway, everyone in the worship team had a good laugh at that! For more info about seeing our services streamed live, go to the end of the blog!

That afternoon, was a lot quieter than the day before, and Liesel got a nap in, and I got to lie down and watch some football. A little later, the weather was beautiful outside, with blue skies and warm temps - so we went for a brisk walk/jog around the block! Then it was dinner time and afterward Nathan helped me put together some drawers and some storage cubes for his room (which turned out a lot smaller than the picture on the box....) Finally, we had an incident-free bath time and soon the boys were in dreamland and Liesel and I were in our favorite seats watching the Amazing Race!

For those of you wanting to tune in to our church services live: go to http://www.providencechurch.us and click on the Live Video Stream icon in the bottom left of the home page. Bear in mind, that our service times are 9:00am and 10:30am ET (4:00pm and 5:30pm South African time) - Sundays only. Next Sunday, I will be playing again, as will the Providence Orchestra, and Choir - performing a Chris Tomlin song! Really looking forward to that!

Nathan's fifth birthday!

I have finally found an opportunity to catch my breath and relax on my favorite couch! From Friday evening, it seems like somebody hit fast forward and only now has life resumed normal speed...

Saturday was Nathan's fifth birthday! Liesel and I were up before him which gave us the opportunity to get his presents out of their hiding place and into the open (and out of Josh's reach). When Nathan finally surfaced, we took him downstairs to find his gifts, which he did not hesitate to start the unwrapping process! He was thoroughly spoiled and had a grin that went from ear to ear the whole morning. His grandparents both spoiled him with Lego, which perfectly complemented the Lego Helicopter Transporter truck that Liesel and I gave him. He got other cars, books, a sweater, building blocks sets (non-Lego) and a radio controlled indoor helicopter! And this was all before 9am! At 10am we all climbed into the car and headed to a local Walmart to get some last minute party goodies. It was also a Lego day there, so Nathan could go and build a Lego pumpkin to take home with him. We got home at lunch time and fed the family, before Liesel and I did the final preparations for Nathan's party which started at 2pm! I decorated the basement for him, as this is where most of the games would be - considering the outside temperature was hovering around 40F (5C!) Liesel baked Nathan a beautiful train cake which was ready for the party!

Two o' clock signals the arrival of the first of Nathan's friends coming for the party. I escorted them to the basement and kicked off a game of soccer while we waited for everyone else to arrive. After burning about 200 calories with the soccer game, all the guests had arrived and the games started. I had about 7 - 8 games lined up and the kids seemed to love them all - each other receiving a prize at some point throughout the festivities. This too, was a calorie burning exercise, and after the games I reckon I had lost of couple of pounds! It was then time to light the candles on the cake, and sing to Nath, followed by the devouring of the train cake! Finally it was time to open the presents and Nath was again spoiled by his friends! Shortly afterwards, the parents arrived to fetch their children and the house became eerily quiet (relatively speaking of course).

As it turned out, it was Nathan's choice for family fun night that night and he chose to go have dinner at Max and Erma's (much to Liesel's delight!) When we came back it was time to put Josh to bed, and then Nathan and I built his Lego Helicopter Transporter truck together (This is one of the many benefits of being a father of a boy who loves Lego).

On Sunday morning, Nathan and I built some more Lego (a police car and a tow truck) before it was time for Church. After church we came home and had lunch, and then the tidying up and cleaning session got underway. The furniture that was rearranged for Saturday's party was put back in their original positions, carpets were vacuumed, and floors were washed. It always nice to have a clean house!

That evening, Liesel and Nathan headed out off to the airport, because her cousin from East London (South Africa) was coming to stay with us for the week. She arrived just before Josh went to bed! We really love having family stay with us, and look forward to a fun filled week with Nicki! Hopefully it won't be as hectic as the last 48 hours!

Fall fun and then not-so-fun

Fall has definitely secured its place here in North East Ohio! Temperatures have dropped, and the leaves are a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors. On Saturday, Nathan's school had their annual Fall Fun Festival. We arrived just after 10am, and headed inside. The teachers each manned a different activity and had the kids lining up to participate! Nath had a great time and collected many prizes.

Afterwards, I took Joshua home to have lunch while Liesel and Nathan went shopping. In the afternoon, Nathan was playing with his train set, and Josh found this quiteamusing. So, of course, Nathan starts to exaggerate everything, and this just cracked Josh up! Hearing him laughing that hard at his brother was so special!



That evening was Liesel's turn to decide the family fun night activity. She decided on a pleasant stroll/ride around the neighborhood. She pushed Josh in his stroller, while Nathan and I followed on our bikes. The evening was perfect, not too cold, with the sun shining and no breeze to speak of. An evening this nice needed to have something extra special to end it, so we headed to Mitchell's ice cream for our favorite dessert! FUN DAY!

On Sunday, Liesel had to leave early and go to church as she was on duty in the nursery for both services. I had the boys, and when Josh didn't settle down for his first nap until 10am, it meant we weren't going to be making the 10:30 service. That afternoon, I pulled out my mower and ventured out in the 50 degree (10C) weather to cut my grass. Mowing in itself is not enjoyable, so think how much fun I had, mowing in the cold weather. To make matters worse, the ground is so saturated from the recent rains, that it felt like I was mowing a swamp! NOT SO FUN!
At 4pm, Nathan headed out to a classmates birthday party, and we picked him up again at 6pm. Then it was bath time for the boys followed soon by bed time. Finally some time to put our feet up and relax.......



(Most of this blog was done on my iPhone, while watching the Amazing Race. I love my phone!)

A-maize-ing (but flipping cold) day

Wow- Mother nature certainly sticks to her timetable and dished up a huge serving of Autumn weather this past week! Lower temperatures and increased clouds played the starring role for most of the week! But that didn't stop the McCarthy's!!

The weekend didn't take long to start, as we had friends over for dinner on Friday night. Our friends have 2 boys around Nathan's age and they all get along so well together! In fact, it was quite a sight to see, all three boys burst into tears, after it was announced that they are going home. They had so much fun playing Wii and with the Lego, that the thought of parting ways was too devastating for them! But I have to admit, everyone, including the dads, had a lot of fun, especially playing on the Wii! So the tears were justified!

Saturday was definitely the day of rest for us! Liesel even had the rare opportunity to sleep in until 8am! After Liesel got up and ready she headed out to Lenscrafters to have her eyes tested, and came home 2 hours later. That afternoon - Liesel and I managed to sneak in a nap, and then once everyone was awake, shepherded the boys into the car to go pick up the new glasses, and get some essential shopping done. Once we got back I fired up my grill and we had one of the tastiest, juiciest chicken breasts ever!

We put Josh to bed after bathing him, and then went downstairs for our weekly family fun night! It was my choice and I chose board games. I was so impressed with the way Nathan played Last word. We modified the rules slightly, but the premise was still the same - name as many things you can think of related to the topic on the card. Nathan was throwing in answers (all correct) left, right and center! He gave me and Liesel and good run for our money!

Then came Sunday..... Due to the day's hectic schedule, we decided to give church a skip so we could take a leisurely drive to a well known pumpkin farm about an hour south of us! This farm has so many different activities for young and old. Unfortunately - its all outside, and today just happened to be the coldest day of the season with temps in the lower 50s (F or 10C). Josh and Nathan both loved playing in the "corn pit", basically a sandpit, but filled with corn kernels instead of sand! But then we decided to take Josh out after he discovered that he can put these kernels into his mouth.....

Nathan had loads of fun in the kid's maze, spud slinger (slingshot for potatoes), 4-wheel pedal cars, the obstacle course and slides, and the wagon rides. We all also jumped aboard their trailer - for a hay ride through the fields and woods! Finally to end the excursion, we went and picked out some pumpkins for our Fall decorations! Nathan did a great job pulling the wagon with the 26 pound pumpkin on it! Once we had the pumpkins packed in the car - we buckled up and drove an hour home....

Later that afternoon, our babysitter came and Liesel and I headed out on a double date with some good friends. We went to a restaurant and had a wonderful time, relaxing, chatting and enjoying our food. Something we don't get to do very often :)

Rain then a symphony of sunshine!

It's another week closer to winter, since Fall officially reported for duty earlier this week! We've been having great Fall weather, and we just love falling asleep with the windows open, hearing the night sounds and feeling the gentle breeze.

On Friday evening, it was Nathan's family fun night choice, and he wanted to go eat at his favorite restaurant, Moe's (which happens to be one of our favorites too.) Nathan always power's through his kiddie's meal (cheese quesadilla) because there is a chocolate chip cookie waiting for him once he finishes the quesadilla.

Saturday morning, the heavens opened, and we enjoyed a shower that lasted most of the day! This meant that my lawn mowing that was planned had to be postponed.... which was not necessarily a bad thing. It was was mom's birthday, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to her via the technology of Skype, which she appreciated! Afterward Liesel took Nathan with her to do some shopping for winter jackets, and I kept Josh with me at home. It was great timing, since it was Josh's nap time, so I had a couple of hours to myself. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get some practice on my Wii. That evening, we had some friends over for dinner, and we all had a great time, laughing, watching football, eating, and then burning calories playing Wii!

On Sunday, I was up before the sun rose, because I was playing in the worship team and had to be at church at 7:30! The service was probably my favorite of the year, as we did a song that included the Providence Choir and Orchestra. Our orchestra consisted of a full brass, wind, strings and percussion sections. So you can imagine how awesome the song sounded with a twenty voice choir, full orchestra, worship band and an amazing lead singer who hit the high notes perfectly! Liesel said she got goosebumps, and she wasn't the only one! The message that Pastor Jim brought also hit home - so all in all - a great service! The weather today was absolutely stunning, with sunny skies and a slight breeze. I got to mow my lawn eventually. Liesel set off for a hair appointment in the evening, and then after supper took Josh for a stroll around the neighborhood, while I finished off some work in the yard. After getting the boys bathed and into bed, we finally got to sit down together and enjoy the premiere episode of the fifteenth season of the Amazing Race!

I am now ready to face the work week ahead :)