Today was our "down" day where Dad had nothing planned for us. It was nice to sleep in and get to relax. Dad borrowed a transformer from one of the other missionary couples so he could make us Texas waffles for breakfast that would actually cook & not be done in 30 seconds b/c of the difference in electric plugs.
Mom was still asleep after breakfast, so we went in to wake her up by dog piling in her bed. It was fun to lay there and talk for a while, just like we do when she's at home in Texas in her own bed.
After we got breakfast cleaned up, it was time for homework. As you can see, Autumn is so thrilled about it ... NOT! Lexie was so kind and sweet and patient w/ her, which is the exact opposite of how I am when I try to get Autumn to do homework. But, Lexie gave it her best shot and they actually got a lot accomplished.
Lexie's valiant efforts to help Autumn were rewarded w/ some help from Dad when it was time for Lexie to do her own homework. She's taking economics right now and there were a few questions she just couldn't figure out. It was fun to see her & Dad figure it out together. You're never too old to get homework help from your parents! LOL!
Dad can't stand to sit still and do nothing, so he took us down to the gardens around their apartment. We've been hearing about how nice they are since we got here, but we just haven't had time to go see them. It really is beautiful, especially when you consider that the blue building the kids are running towards is the mall. These gardens are like a tropical oasis in the middle of the bustling city.
These are just a few of the beautiful plants that were growing in the side flowerbeds. This bird of paradise is so colorful, and you can see that it really does look like a bird's head.
The plumeria trees were in bloom and had the most perfect looking and pleasant smelling plumeria. I felt like I was back in Hawaii for a few minutes.
I don't know what type of plant this is, but I love the happy burst of white to pink. It almost looks like a firework.
After burning off some energy checking out the garden, we walked across the street to the mall to check it out and get a few things. Dad is well known and well loved at the hardware store in the mall, b/c he goes in there so much. Plus, he always brings a little treat or candy (today it was mini sized Snicker bars) for each of the workers.
This is Donald, and he stands outside the mall and helps people w/ their purchases. He is Mom's favorite b/c he is always so happy and goes the extra mile to take Mom's groceries up to her apartment and then he also returns the grocery cart to the mall for her. It's been fun to meet these wonderful people that have endeared themselves to Mom & Dad. Now when I talk to Mom on the phone and she mentions Donald, I'll know who she's talking about.
Dad & The Guymons were up for an adventure, so they went to Constitution Hill. It's an old prison where Nelson Mandela & Mahatma Gandhi were both held as prisoners at different times.
It's now the "site of South Africa's Constitutional Court - the highest court in the country on constitutional matters."
While they were gone, Mom & I got busy making German rouladen for dinner. It was soooo nice to be working w/ Mom in the kitchen again. I miss that so much. It gave us a chance to talk and catch up w/ each other. It get so stinkin' hot in the kitchen b/c there's no A/C! But, Mom still pulled together an incredible meal that was delicious!
After we were all stuffed and the dishes were done up (they don't have a dishwasher), we worked on the puzzle and watched Singin' In The Rain. The kids said they preferred the play version that we saw on Tuesday. We've created theater snobs! After the movie we all went to our own apartments to start packing for our big African Safari adventure for the next few days. It's been so nice for each family to have their own apartment. That way we can have alone time w/ just our own little families, take a break from each other, and sleep in a real bed. We're so spoiled!
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