to make your heart flutter*

* these (many photos of my son :-) is purely for the enjoyment of dreams coming true, of being a mama, standing next to the field, watching how my son is playing his heart out! 

 victory run...hehe.. 

A

happy birthday*

my brother, me and my dad

Happy Birthday to two of the most important men in my life!
May this year be filled with all kinds of adventures, lots of laughter,
and more skinny dipping.

I love you xx

two peas in a pod*

say no more xx

for the bullied and beautiful by shane koyczan*

Found this beautiful piece of art on the ever amazing Brene Brown's website. 

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL xx

From the poem To This Day by Shane Koyczan: 

"  . . . and if you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit."  

re-entering*

friends of mine who attend retreats in america always talks about 're-entering' their lives after attending such said retreat.  it surely feels as if i'm re-entering kuala lumpur on an emotional level. 

yesterday was all about gratitude and love for our families and friends in south africa, of the opportunity  we were given to live overseas, of coming 'home' with all the photos and videos and memories of the most amazing 3 weeks spent in our country. of possibilities and even more opportunities that this year can hold for us. 

yesterday i was literally riding the wave of (emotional) joy and happiness. my heart was full. 

from left to right: my brother, willem, marcel (my husband), sue (my little sis), my dad and in the back 

Elizma (my sister-in-love). they bring out the best and worst of me..hehe... 

 cousins - instant connections 

 cousins in the bath

today, my heart is full.

but the emotions are different.  the gratitude is still there. the memories are overpowering good, but i put myself in a situation today where i had to be brave and step up for what i believe in and it felt like being brave was too hard to do.  i burst out in tears.  it was feelings of leaving my family and friends in south africa, of choosing to live so far away. of my children asking where their cousins and grand-parents are and we acting as if it is normal to live so far apart. feelings of getting back in routine, of being strong and brave and supporting my children where they can not. of raising them to be responsible, wild and free little ones within the cultural acceptance here in malaysia.

 marcel, chantal (sister-in-love), paul (brother-in-love) and me

 my father-in-love, photo taken 2am and he really wanted to sleep..hehe 

 my sweet mother-in-love... 

feelings of missing my mom and knowing that should i ever return to her home, the house we grew up in, there will be nothing of her. nothing. she now only lives in our memories. feelings of life that goes on for others and me who still want to hold onto her things... her clothes, her books... things that reminded me of her.  the only thing i could find of my mom (between everything that was going to be thrown away) was her wedding dress. i packed it in. it is here, with me in malaysia. sounds crazy. grief is crazy.  totally totally weird.

 bella and beth

having daddy with us every.single.day for 3 weeks... every minute of every day... nothing beats that!  

 my sister-in-love, Elizma

but all these emotions are true to my heart. i felt them. some days i still feel them.  some days they linger and stay for a while.  today was not the day to push them away and 'act' as if everything is fantastic. living overseas you sometime have to 'fake it till you make it'.  life is great. yes! we choose to make our life amazing and we live it to the fullest every.single.day.

ouma net and bella

but today, to be brave and far from the people that ground you and challenge you and fill your heart with joy, to realise you are here, and only you can make the choices as to how you are going to live this one and precious life, alone, was hard.

and then we go to bed.
we wake up tomorrow morning.
and a new day has begun xx

home*

Our hearts are full! 

Yesterday we arrived home after a 21 hour flight from South Africa! (the kids were angels).

We realised (again) how much we love our country. 

We know how much we are loved by our families.

We look forward to the day that we pack our belongings and go back to South Africa for good.   

We had 3 weeks of tremendous laughter! and giggles, of cousins and connections that only happens in families, (that thing about 'ties that bind' - yes!), weeks of sea and sand and blue blue skies, of colder weather (which we loved!), of beskuit (rusks) and meat and potjiekos and lots of wine, weeks of going to bed late at night and getting up early to capture the day (not! the kids woke up early..hehe). We had the most amazing 3 weeks with our families in our home country, South Africa. 

Just before we left we were contacted by a lady to adopt a baby boy... unfortunately he has been adopted by another family and we are excitingly waiting for our baby.  Praying that he/she will arrive at exactly the right time as we know that God knows every little and big detail.  

I will post more about all of the above in the next few weeks. 

Heart full. 

Kids (very) happy (and awake :-) 

Dreaming. Praying. Trusting. Knowing.