Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

And so a very blessed and busy 2013 comes to an end.

I am taking a well-deserved break to spend quality time with my son, husband and family and to get around to doing those little things one just don’t get time for during the year.

Have a very blessed festive season and if you are travelling… Please be safe!! My wish for you in the brand new 2014 is a prosperous one filled with blessings all around. Whether they come in disguise or tackle you off your feet. And if you are waiting for that bundle of love to join your forever family, may he or she march into your hearts and lives very early in the New Year!!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

 

Jusqu'à l'année prochaine ...

 

 

 

To A Very Special Man

 

 

18 July 1918 to 5 December 2013

 

To the man that taught us to love, taught us that we are all equal and taught us to never resent. We will miss you Tata.

Thank you for giving all of us the opportunity to have a place in the African sun. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a husband and a father in our beautiful country.

 

 

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois ...

 

 

 

Birthday Celebrations!!

This year’s theme was all about the little cute guys from Despicable Me and Despicable Me2… The Minions… Loïc’s favourite at this stage. So on Saturday we invited all the friends and family to celebrate Loïc’s second birthday and like the year before, our mission was to send all the children home on a sugar high… Mission accomplished!! I even hired a candyfloss maker which was a huge hit with both the kids and parents.

 

 

Thank you to the team at Baking Habits for exceeding my every expectation with the cake. It was an absolute hit with everyone!

 

We had a very tired little boy at the end of the day. He was one of the firsts in the pool and the very last one to get out.

 

We asked all our guests to please contribute either nappies or a can of formula that we donate to Procare, which they then distribute to their Houses of Safety. We were generously blessed again this year. Thank you to every single one that contributed!! This small gesture makes a huge difference.

 

Our tradition every year is to set free three balloons in memory of Loïc’s Birth Mom and two siblings.

 

Thank you to everyone that attended to make Loïc’s birthday a memorable one. And a BIG thank you for all the gifts. Our little prince was spoilt rotten!!

 

 

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#EmotionalDayOfBirth

“When your eyes are shining brightly it is so nice to see, that one day you will for certain become all you're meant to be. You are to simply everyone a special little man, who brings the kind of happiness that nothing is greater than. Every day you bring to us all the joy that life could hold, you're such a special little boy from the day you were born. Like teardrops on the roses kissed by the morning dew, you're the treasure that gives us pleasure in everything you do. Happy birthday to our dear Loïc who couldn't be more loved. We turn to God each day and night to keep you safe and sound, we join you in your night prayers as to the guardian angel you call, please protect and keep your light on for this special little boy. May God bless you our sweet prince…”

Love Papa & Dadda

 

The exact proceedings of 13 November 2011 I cannot recall, but I’m sure it went a bit like this… Morne and I were woken up by our screaming alarms at 6 in the morning. We swung our tired bodies out of bed and dragged our feet to the coffee maker. We lit a cigarette and stared in to the far distance playing out the day ahead in our heads. Jumped through the shower, said our good-byes to each other, got in the car and fought our way through traffic.

Let’s call her Angela (not her real name)… Her day possibly went like this… Highly pregnant and uncomfortable. Her heart and head heavy with emotion because of difficult choices that lay ahead. She gets her day started with her fellow pregnant housemates. As she struck up a conversation with a fellow housemate, she felt a familiar sensation of warm fluid running down her legs. She calls for the housemother and they make their way to the hospital. They are met by the Social Worker at the hospital and they are all concerned that this is happening a month too early. Angela gets taken to her hospital bed to give birth…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY our special boy, our prince, our baby boy!! You are 2 today and we are so excited with you!! Opening presents with you and seeing that excitement on your face melts our heats.

 

Thank you for choosing us as your parents. We love you more than words can describe. We love you!! We love you!! We love you!!

For the first time ever I’m experiencing a day full of emotion especially when I think of Angela. Does she remember 13 November? Does she want to remember this day? I wish I could help just a little to make it better. Sometimes I wish we had a relationship with her if only just so that we can share with her special days like these and to let her know that he is loved beyond means. That he’s taken care off and that he is happy. 

Our heart and thoughts are with you Angela. We love you!!

 

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois ...

 

 

 

 

Precious Moments

Morne is an absolute music lover. He goes nowhere without his iPod and on business trips it’s his travel companion if I can’t accompany him.

Whom I kidding… Even if I’m with him he still prefers his iPod.

While running a few errands this weekend, Morne and Loïc worked through Morne’s playlist while driving around. They came across this song by Kylie Minogue and Loïc had an instant attraction to it. When they arrived home Morne called me to come see this. He put the song on… Loïc belted out the phrase “Higher, Higher, Higher” every time Kyle sang fire or higher. He even incorporated a little hand gesture with it by lifting his hands to the sky. It was so cute to see that I played the song at least three times thereafter just to see him perform.

It is amazing how much of our gestures our children pay attention to. Last week I walked in on Loïc where he was sitting at the kitchen counter in front of his Dad’s laptop talking on Morne’s cell phone. He was chatting away in his own little language. I even thought for a moment that it would be really funny if there was someone on the other side, but wasn’t too concerned as Morne had a lock on his phone. At one stage Loïc pulled the phone away from his ear and my eye caught a glimpse… There was a call in progress. I intervened… He was busy chatting to his Oupa and that conversation lasted for almost 10 minutes. Oupa had such a giggle and for him it was such a precious moment. Although he could not understand a word Loïc was saying he enjoyed their chat thoroughly.

 

 

Later that same week we gave Loïc the opportunity to make another call to his grandparents. This time he decided to talk to them while taking a stroll through the garden… Just like Morne and I do when on the phone. My heart melted.

Sunday was a hot and perfect day for ice-cream and what a perfect way to end a weekend. We went off to Smooch and filled our tubs to the brim. Loïc decided he had enough and found his Dad’s wallet more interesting than the ice-cream. With a bit of encouragement I said to him to go buy us more ice-cream. He knew exactly what to do… He took one of Morne’s cards out of the wallet and handed it to one of the gents behind the counter. He then proceeded to take out another card and hand it to someone else. I did not get more ice-cream, but the patrons in the store had a good laugh.

I absolutely love these precious moments!!

 

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois ...

 

 

 

 

Family Photo Shoot

Although we have accumulated a lot of photos of Loïc over the (almost) past two years, we never got around to do a family photo shoot. So about 2 weeks ago we made it happen.

Bronwyn from Heart & Soul Photography came highly recommended and we liked what we saw in her portfolio. Here are just a few of her amazing pieces of work.

We had such fun shooting these everlasting memories and because it was done in and around our home, it was stress free and the duration was just perfect. Nearing the end of the shoot Loïc made it very clear that he was done playing model for the day. He got on his scooter and rushed off to go do what boys do best... Cause havoc in the Bosch-Serfontein household.


Jusqu'à la prochaine fois ...

Your Baby Magazine

The Your Baby Magazine's September/October issue is featuring an article on adoption in South Africa, issues around it and advice for people wanting to adopt.

They have asked a few couples to share their story. The van Wyk's and us, together with other couples, had the privilege to be part of this feature.

The September/October issue will be available on shelves from the 28th of August 2013.

 

 

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois ...