Identical Twins

This past weekend was one of firsts for me.  My first Skype conversation in which I received some very unexpected news.  Firstly, I managed to single handedly (mostly!) download Skype onto my ipad and successfully have a Skype conversation with my lovely niece Lauren and her husband, Derek who live in Durban, South Africa.  My children will agree that this was no mean feat for me to have accomplished, a fact which is attested to by Chantelle posting the following to facebook on Monday morning:

"Chantellé Smithposted to‎Carol Jane Case

August 11 near Pakuranga

This is you mama xo



Posted by Chantelle on my Facebook page!!

Lauren holds a special place in my heart.  Her mother, my sister, passed away unexpectedly when Lauren was just 21 years old.  In the days when we lived in South Africa and my three girls were very young, Lauren was just like a big sister to them.  She is kind, thoughtful and down to earth.  I'm pleased to say that Lauren's life is moving along an incredibly blessed path.  She is now married to a wonderful man, she holds a great teaching position in a private school in Durban, they have just bought and moved into their first home and Lauren is now 10 WEEKS PREGNANT WITH IDENTICAL TWINS!

Lauren's babies will be the first twins in our family and Derek appears to be completely to blame, his father being an identical twin himself!  This news coupled with "seeing" Lauren and Derek on Skype has stirred up in me once again the desire to take my children back to South Africa to visit, meet and become reacquainted with their relatives.  I would like to make this desire a reality within the next few years, before they all "fly the coop".  So much has changed since I left South Africa in 2003 with the addition of two (soon to be four) new members of the next generation and two marriages to partners I have yet to physically meet.  I had better start saving!