Holmies and Fergies visit Bertland over easter and more fun at Kusangalala house.

It was really lovely to have my sisters and their families come visit us over Easter. I had a full house and a full heart! We tuned into our George family Easter service and the kids prepared a little song and dance for us (not sure if it will load properly!)

Feeding 13 mouths is no simple task, let alone on a rainy day when we had no power! But somehow we ended up inventing a new feeding plan and it worked like a bomb! We started the fire before lunch time and kept the coals hot for the rest of the day, with multiple courses cooking throughout the day on the fire. We started with braai broodjies, and then had corn in the cob, sausages, fillet, sweet potato in the coals and ended with smores! It was brilliant, no mess or fuss, and food on demand for hungry kids.

We headed down to the lake for lunch and a swim. The lake is the fullest it has been in over 50 years so it is just beautiful.

Can't believe Ben and Gen are 16 already!

We then headed to Kusangalala house for a few nights. It is heavenly, with lush green grass and beautiful big trees. The beach is stunning and perfect for the kids to enjoy the water and the sand. We took our SUP and there is a kayak there so we had plenty of fun on the water.

We sent off a few Chinese lanterns in the evening, they were ones that I bought for our wedding 12 years ago that had been dug up when Wends was clearing her store room!

Sunrise on the beach because we have the youngest kids. No further explanation needed!

Lizzy and Lily planned a surprise date for me and Tim, they prepared a crate with a little picnic and put it onto the SUP which they had tied to the kayak, and they called us down to the lake and sent us off to have our picnic in the middle of the lake. It was so cute and very special.

We had a really wonderful time together. To end it off on a high, Gen and Ben babysat the kids on the last night so the adults could go out for dinner together. We had a lovely time and always have plenty of laughs when we are together. Oh how special these 2 are to me.

Having an all day braai by ourselves just isn't QUITE the same. But still fun. The kids did most of the cooking! And Louie loves to make the fire so its win win for us.

With all my babysitters gone, Lou stepped in to help me put Joel to sleep!

We tried making our own pasta and it was pretty yummy! The eggs we used were from our quails, and the beans were from our veggie patch. When I'm needing a pick me up I tend to get creative in the kitchen. Its been great to have the time and motivation to experiment in the kitchen.

Lily was also motivated to make soup from things she picked in the veggie patch! I think we need to keep working on that recipe though haha!

It has been another wonderful month of adventures. These little feet are exploring more and more. Some days feel long and lonely, but when I look at all the amazing experiences we are having and the memories we are creating, I am humbled and thankful. 

Its so easy to feel negative in the moment, but those moments of struggle fade much more quickly than the beautiful memories we create. I guess that's why we are supposed to be thankful in every situation, it changes our perspective!