Monday, April 19, 2010
Birthday Party
James had his birthday party at a little amusement park in North Austin called Kiddie Acres. The kids had a blast riding the rides and ponies, playing putt putt golf and eating pizza and cake!
Presents
Opening presents from the family. Thanks everyone for the awesome gifts and cards. James loves them all!
James turns 6!
James turned 6 today, and we celebrated at his favorite restaurant, Red Robin. He was treated to lively singing by the restaurant staff and a special hot fudge Sunday. Yea James!
Lego Store
This store is in a shopping mall near downtown Houston. Check out the life-size lego statue of the Star Wars storm trooper -- awesome!
Zippy the Clown
This funny guy just happened to be hanging out at Zilker Park the day that we were there. He made some great balloon creations for the boys: a sword and belt for James, and a martian for Andrew.
Easter
Our Easter season included several easter egg hunts for the boys. This one took place at our Apartment complex.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A Tribute to Raymond
We were very saddened over the weekend to learn that our good friend Raymond Van Staden passed away. Raymond is from South Africa, and he was a work associate of Mark's. We knew him for several years; he even spent the night at our house in Austin on a visit here. When we were deciding where to live in S. Africa, Raymond and his family were a major factor in our decision to live near Durban. He was an invaluable friend to us when we lived there. He met us at the airport when we arrived and took us to auctions to help us find furniture. We got together with his family on several occasions for braiis (S. African term for barbeque) by the dam (aka lake). And Mark enjoyed many work related meetings with him. He was the last person at the airport to say goodbye to us when we moved back to the States.
It appears that Raymond drowned in the ocean near his home while trying to rescue a teenager who was struggling in the water. We are not the least bit surprised by this as that's exactly the type of guy Raymond was ... the type who would bend over backwards to help no matter the cost. Raymond is survived by his wife Carol and his precious son, Casey now 4 yrs. old I believe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and all of the countless others like us who were touched by Raymond's life and are devastated by his loss. May you rest in peace Raymond. We will miss you dearly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)