If you think about what you should do for others, your character will take care of itself.

One of the huge pines in our garden

Those wise words us top - said by Woodrow Wilson, are ringing true for me at the moment.  I'm trying to be more aware of other's needs and helping in small ways wherever I can.  It's making me so selfishly happy:)  Doing good for others makes me feel great.  That's probably why I do it. 

I'm missing having my sister Tracey around, so fill my sad and sorry thoughts with doing good to others. She's off with her family in the USA having a huge adventure.  I've spring cleaned the house, cleared my cupboards of clothes not worn in the last six months(that's gonna turn around and bite me as I enter winter now!!!!), and chucked and chucked and chucked.  And it's been great.  I'm passing it all on to others who might need it. The only crazy thing is...there's still so MUCH left.  I walk into the dining room and all I can see is books, and papers and toys and and and.  Driving me nuts.  The girls are a nervous wreck when I walk into their room - with my orange Mondi re-cycling bag.  They run and grab whatever they can,before I throw it in the bin.  Honestly, every month, I walk out of that room with a black bag FULL of paper, old toys and general junk.  I have no clue how it's getting in there in the first place.

April has turned into my best month yet of 2011.  I'd like to see if May can try top it.

Noah turns 6!

Noah turned 6 last week.  We sat together the night before and I told him all about the special feelings I had the night before he was to be born.  The excitement of meeting him and the joy at the thought of loosing some of the water I'd been retaining in my legs(I kinda mumbled that 2nd bit to Brod on the side).  He was our first boy and it was going to be a whole new experience for us all. 

We were all so excited! And it's been an honor and a priviledge to be his mommy.

Noah is loud.  He has a big mouth, that he opens and uses A LOT.  We call him our white Zulu.  When you visit the local rural villages you can hear the children laughing and calling to eachother - from across the valley.  Noah's voice projection is that good - that it really carries.  He loves to greet strangers, friends and everything and everyone.  He waves and says 'hello' constantly.  Asks people's names, what they do.  And everyone loves him to bits.  Strangers face's light up, and he leaves happiness in his wake.  This is a gift of his.

He only started speaking when he was 3 years old, he used his own special sign language to communicate with us all.  That was hard.  And to this day, when I watch the video footage of him at a young age, I remember clearly the feeling of claustraphobia that I carried for 2 years - feeling so frustrated for him, and anxious. Like I couldn't breathe sometimes.  Because he couldn't speak.  And I knew that Heavenly Father knew that I was worried, and I couldn't understand why he wasn't performing some mighty miracle in loosening Noah's tongue. And then it 'hit' me, that I needed to pray and actually ask him for the miracle and tell him what I wanted and what Noah needed.  And voila.  The miracle I sought unfolded and he has not stopped communicating since.  His speech is still a struggle - but I'm just so very grateful that he has it, and he uses it.  This a true gift.

Noah had a birthday party on Saturday night.  The house was full of folk who love him and care about him - and if my house was bigger - there would have been even more people.  He loved having his first real birthday party - with not only his family, but a few special friends as well.

Happy 6th year on earth Shnopesy Popesy.

Sophie is Baptised

Friday the 8th April was a special day in the Von Brughan household - Miss Sophie woke up with gifts spread all over the blow up mattress on my bedroom floor.  She stretched, rolled over and saw us checking her out from our bed.  Her cousin, Renaldo was fast asleep in her bed - so she'd spent the night with us.  She was thrilled. 

Her Aunty Claudette, and cousin's Renaldo, Tiago and Kianu had driven down from Pretoria just to be with her on her birthday - and to speak at her baptism later that day.  She had her 'little' gifts - literally, she likes little things - and then later that day we took a trip down to Build a Bear and she chose a charming bunny and kitted her out with satin PJ's, slippers and a robe.  Very specific.

Sophie is wonderful, and we are so proud of her decision to be baptised.  Boy howdy was she nervous.  There were soooo many people there -  and lots of family and friends.  I did not have my camera with me, and also forgot the juice - for the refreshments afterward:( Darn.  But the schedule of events was as follows:

Aunty Chrystal played the organ

Aunty Mandy conducted the music

I gave the opening prayer

Rob Picolo conducted the meeting

Aunty Claudette spoke on the Holy Spirit

Phoebe gave her first proper talk

Cousin Renaldo bore his testimony

Brod - the awesomest dad in the world - baptised a very nervous Sophie

Brod, Grandpa, Uncle Hiram and Uncle Nathan and Uncle Andre confirmed her

Rob Picolo welcomed her

And Granny Juju said the closing prayer.

Sigh

It was lovely.  I laughed, and cried and sang and prayed and felt very happy inside.

Being a mommy is a blessing.

Family Fun



Phoebe in the heated hotel pool - the children spent hours playing & splashing.  I could hear them from my hotel room.



The Von Brughan children

One of our rooms - when the children weren't swimming, or eating or shopping - they were chilling in this spot

Our Superheroes - striking a pose

Breakfast time! Yay!



See mommy - eating all on her own?  Good for the digestion. 



And who is that couple in the back??? Granny & Grandpa! Acting cool - "we're not with them.  The noisey bunch at that table".

Umhlanga - saying cheers to the sea for the next week

This photo was taken just before Jo got mad with dad

The boys at Speech & Language Therapy - we party hard when we're waiting!  That rose bowl on the bottom right usually has a whole whack of peppermints that drive the kids crazy - there's a constant stream of 'can I have another one?' - and the magazines are my happy release:)

Last week - we took the children and my folks for a holiday.  It was lots of fun - we all had a happy break from reality (which is pretty wonderful anyway, so we really didn't NEED a break from it - but it's good to get away).  We went to the Garden Court, Umhlanga. It's new, and clean, and Green - and just a block away from Gateway - yay!

And holy cow did we chow down:)

Lovely being together, somewhere else.