Holiday at Kloppenheim

After the success of the first holiday we decided to go on a second holiday. This time we chose to go to the Kloppenheim Estate which is just before Machadodorp in the hills of the escarpment on the way to Nelspruit. It's about 300km away. The journey started off well with Dylan telling stories on the back seat. By the time we drove past Pretoria, he had started crying. And so we learnt that with twins you stop at every Petrol station rest stop along the way, bar one where both were sleeping. Luckily the route we had chosen had plenty of rest stops. Note we didn’t stop once for petrol as the Prius didn’t need any.

Below is a picture of Emma resting on the bench at the Steers where the kids ate their Purity and we had a quick Burger. Dylan didn’t enjoy the drive much. We had a very nice unit at Kloppenheim. It was bigger than the one we stayed at Valley Lodge and therefore meant that the cots and the play area for the kids were easily accommodated. We also had a lovely view and the occasional Rainbow after a storm. Kloppenheim is in the mountains but even now in the middle of summer the evening temperatures are cool and it is only warm during the day.

This time we decided not to have any Baby sitters and therefore tried taking the kids with us to dinner. This turned out not to be a very bright plan. Our kids are very much in the movie where they have their dinner at 6:00 to 6:30 and by 7:00pm they are in bed fast asleep. So when on the first evening we plucked them out of their cots and into their pram to schlep them off to dinner they were not impressed. Emma performed towards the end of the first evening. The second evening we tried not putting them down to sleep but straight into their pram. They were even worse. The Great Britain Row Team was staying at the lodge for the first time. The management was trying to make a very good impression. Anina took Emma out of the dining venue because she was screaming so much, and when she came back through the area where the rowers were sitting, Emma let out an almighty burp.

During the days we went for nice walks as there are wide sand roads in the estate, good for the pram. Dylan and I got a bit sunburned on the first day. We had all recovered by the end of the holiday.

What we learnt on this holiday is that the kids are not yet long travel ready, 300km is just too far for them, and that they cannot join us for a quiet dinner. We still had a great time with them on the holiday.

On Tuesday Emma and Dylan turned 8 months

First Holiday

We have just come back from our first holiday. All of us had a lot to learn about how to go on holiday. We took it easy and packed the car over a full day. The Prius did superbly well. There are small flat compartments under the main boot that can be used for baby blankets and the like. Due to the size of the pram we also can’t pack our usual suitcases. We went to the Valley Lodge in Magaliesburg which is an easy hours drive away from our house. We had a nice superior suite for our accommodation, which was newly built. There was a lounge area which we converted into the kids area: Two cots and their play area. We brought all our amenities from home for the kids and this worked really well. The first evening we took a stroll and lay on the loungers by the pool. It was New Years Eve.

We hired a Baby Sitter to look after the kids in the evening so that we could have a quiet dinner. Well not quite. Everyone else’s babies entertained us over dinner. We sat outside as the weather was lovely and enjoyed a really good meal the hotel had put on for the occasion.

The next day we took the kids with for breakfast. We sat for a long time at breakfast with a view on the pool, while the kids had a nap. Then we went back to the room. Time flew by and after Anina and I had shared an in-room dining burger for lunch we took another walk and went to dinner again. The next morning we did our usual breakfast routine and then had to do the big pack to come home again. I now know where everything fits in the car. Btw we didn’t need to fill up the Prius to go on holiday. We just went to the garage to check the tires. The tank is still half full! Great car. Drives well with a full load too.

Emma and Dylan Stats:

Dylan: 10.055 Kg Emma: 8.160 Kg

Emma slept through again last night, but this is only her second night of sleeping through. Dylan still sleeps from 7pm till 5:30am every night. He is a star sleeper. Emma’s other new tricks are that she can wave at you, and waves back if you wave at her. Unlike Melody she waves with her hand in the right direction. She is also sitting by herself but cannot yet get into the sitting position from lying down. Dylan is becoming more active as can be seen by his weight.