First Day of School

Kiera and Luke started school yesterday.  We dropped them off at 7am at the Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek.  It's the third trimester of the school year.

Kiera asked that David and I not walk her to her classroom and chose instead to go on her own with  the school administrator.  We then walked a tearful Luke to his classroom, where he was paired up with a buddy named Colin, and said our goodbyes.
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Luke ended up having a great day once things got going.  In the car on the way home, we heard him say (to Kiera):  'My teacher is really pretty and she's like the nicest person...she's like the...*...third nicest person ever.'
*at this point I can only assume he was calculating the number of parents sitting in the front seat who might be listening in

Yesterday evening, Luke asked if he could use the treadmill at the house we're renting.  While I was obliviously cooking dinner, he ran 3 miles at a 10k/hour pace in his undies.  Toward the end of his workout, I heard him calling for Kiera to bring him ice packs and water.  She's the best sister.

Kiera had an ok day, but really does miss her friends and school in Texas.  She asked me last night why we had to move and why kids don't have any say in decisions like that.  She has a playdate with a girl in her grade on Friday, so hopefully that will help her feel more connected here.

a bit of traveling

Last week, we visited a small game park very close to Windhoek called Daan Viljoen National Park.  We saw wildebeests, baboons, warthogs, ostriches, kudu and oryx.  It's only about 10 miles from the city- we drove the park this time, but plan to hike next time we go.  It's beautiful!

             

                                                                    Daan Viljoen


This weekend we drove about 4 hours west to the coast and stayed in Swakopmund.  We ate seriously yummy German food and played on the beach.  We also rode fat tire bikes on the dunes...

    south of Swakopmund near Walvis Bay - cute kids and flamingoes!

Also, I am so excited to have rediscovered rusks!  They are South African - similar to biscotti, but way better, IMHO.

Namibia

                                      Arrival at Hosea Kutako Airport 


After a long break from this blog,* I'm going to have another go at it in case friends and family at home would like to check in.  

I called the blog 'love you tutter' years ago because that's how Kiera was saying 'love each other.'  She's since learned how to say it properly, but thankfully Luke hasn't and still says 'love you tudger'...evolution of the phrase passed along from sister to brother.  I love that he still also says 'benember' instead of 'remember.'   

We all arrived in Windhoek last week- David on Wednesday with Peanut, and the kids and I and both dogs on Saturday.  I'm so thankful we all made it safe and sound.  The kids were superb travelers- patient through it all and thrilled to have their own little movie screens on the plane.

Luke and Dave have joined not one, but two golf courses, so they are settling in just fine.  Luke loves seeing warthogs running around on the course that is outside of town.

Kiera has found The Book Den - a lovely bookstore in town, and a violin teacher, too, so she's feeling better about all of this.  She misses her friends in Texas a lot, and her fabulous teacher of two years, Frau Maar...so this hasn't been the easiest transition for her.  (She's ok with me sharing this, and hopefully she'll write some of her own blog entries some day!)

I'm excited to start volunteering at the local SPCA and to spend more time training Ella and Henry. 

*Looking back, the blog seems to have come to a screeching halt when Luke started figuring out how to walk.  Not. Surprising. At. All.