Library Fun...

It's wonderful to be within walking distance of our local library. Both of our kiddos love going there to play and listen to stories being read during storytime. I took them to the library on a rainy day last week, and they had so much fun in the children's section. Libraries are certainly a blessing!

 The children's section of the library.

 Cooking up some tasty food!

Listening to a story. :)

Eliza and Rusty...

This girl seems to have formed a pretty solid bond with our four-legged family member. She loves to pat Rusty and give him hugs and is so gentle. Rusty is equally patient and gentle with her, too. It is so sweet to see and it warms my heart! :)

Sweet baby and sweet dog. :)

She loves him so much! :)

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis...

Candace's parents treated us to a day out at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis on Saturday, 9th February. It is the world's largest children's museum with many displays geared both to children and adults alike. The play area, carousel, trains, dinosaurs, and International Space Station exhibit ranked amongst our favourites! :) It was a fantastic day and we loved seeing all the interesting exhibits. We definitely recommend this amazing museum!

 Life-size dinosaurs breaking out of the Dinosphere!

 Brachiosaurus trying to get into the museum. :)

 The foyer area. The museum shop is to the left and the food court to the right. Many exhibits (spread out over four levels!) are straight ahead.

 The Fireworks of Glass sculpture in the museum.

 Candace and Riaan at the Riley Children's Health display.

 Riaan and Eliza in a real Indy 500 race car!

 Just harvesting corn with Grandpa. :)

 The carousel is a National Historic Landmark and is over 100 years old.

 Riaan riding Ethan, a giraffe.

 Riaan and Grandpa playing in the Playscape area.

 Looking for items in the large sandpit with Grandma.

 Riaan was particularly excited to see the Batman exhibit!

 On the International Space Station display. South Africa is listed alongside other contributing nations. :)

 Riaan with Candace.

 The Reuben Wells steam locomotive.

 Riaan had a ball playing trains!

 Dinosaurs in the Dinosphere.

 A feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex tried to eat us!

 T-Rex fossil. Many of the skeletons on display are real fossils!

 With Lavone and Mike after visiting the museum. Thanks for a wonderful day! :)

Happy Birthday Eliza...

Our daughter turned one-year-old on the 8th of February. We had a pretty quiet day celebrating our little girl. It's quite something to see how much she has changed since she entered the outside world a year ago! We are certainly blessed by this quiet, caring soul. Happy first birthday, Eliza! We love you so much!

 Opening one of her presents - a wooden band set!

 Candace made a beautiful dolly for her.

With her present from Grandma - a lovely homemade teddy bear!

My 35th Birthday...

I turned 35 years old on Tuesday, 5th February. It was a pretty low-key day as I looked after the kiddos while Candace worked. We had a lot of fun playing Lego and reading stories together. Once Candace was home, she had some awesome surprises up her sleeve. :) She made a yummy home-cooked supper, and we then had a delicious chocolate-rainbow cake for dessert. Then in the evening several close friends came round for a surprise wine and cheese party for me. It was a lovely evening and I am so thankful for my wonderful wife! Thanks, Babe! :)

Birthday cards for Eliza and myself. :)

 Our sweet kiddos on my birthday.

 Amazing chocolate-rainbow cake.

 Friends hanging out in our lounge.

 The fantastic cheese and cracker spread.

A view of our open-plan dining room and lounge area.

House Dedication Ceremony...

We had our official Habitat for Humanity house dedication ceremony on Tuesday, 29th January. Our house was opened up so that interested parties could have a tour and see the amazing job that the Twin Rivers Construction crew had done on our home. We also had a close friend do the blessing over our home, and that was lovely. We were also presented with a fantastic scrap book chronicling our journey from start to finish!

Later in the evening we all went to a local restaurant for a celebration supper hosted by Habitat for Humanity and Twin Rivers. It was a fantastic, special evening for our family. Words cannot truly describe how incredibly grateful and blessed we are by our new home!

Jeff does our house blessing. :)

The gifts that represented the blessing over our house.

Candace with friends.

Family in the living room.

The first page of the scrapbook that we were given.

The last page of the scrapbook. :)

I did the devotions for the celebration supper.

With Scott (left) and Bob (right), the construction supervisors from Twin Rivers. They did an excellent job! :)

Hobbit Breakfast...

We enjoyed a delicious Hobbit breakfast with friends one Saturday morning late last month. It was to commemorate Tolkien's birthday on the 3rd of January, but was held later in the month due to various reasons. It was a lovely morning, despite the fact that I had to rush off to work. :)

 Truth right there.

 Our amazing spread.

My delicious breakfast. Yum!