Some photos from Little Leaps

Can you believe how grown up Deqlan looks in this photo?

Ash has just sent me these photos of Deqlans first week of school which i wanted to share with you all!

This is Deqlans buddy Thokozani, he was trying to get him to sleep Ash says

Massage time, Deqlan very interested in Imran

sea saw!

Of course Deqlan loves the bikes and wheels!

Water play time, Deqlan didnt enjoy this activity to our surprise!

mmmm...should i shouldnt i?

School days

Deqlan watching his fishes! Its a virtual fish tank in a tv case, his present from Meggie and Conrad and Keaton for 2 years NED! Deqlan LOVES the fish and dolphins and turtles!


Deqlan sitting at the table enjoying his fish...since starting at Little Leaps, he will voluntarily go to sit at the table by himself, a massive leap! Deqlan prefers to be on the move even when eating

Logs and Me - look at those gorgeous blue eyes! Now you can see all the teeth are making their appearance, its changing her face completely!

Deqlan and Mama, Happy 2 years NED gorgeous boy!

Keaton ejoying a Mickey Mouse magic drawing board from Nanna & Gpa

Keaton loved kicking this balloon around - he certainly was in a birthday mood from the moment he woke up till the moment he passed out, he had such a lovely birthday

Deqlan once again going to have a seat by himself!

Our beautiful boys on their special day, 2 years NED for Deqlan, 2 years old for Keaton, thank You Lord!

Gpa, Keaton and Nanna

Keaton gardening! Ivan got Keaton the cutest little gardening kit, he loved it

Present time!

Our Rock Star!

So thrilled i captured this moment, Cam, Lyal & Deqlan

A priceless photo - Shaz with Cam and Lyal, Megs and Keaton, Samm, Deqlan and Logan

Keaton has mastered the drums - his awesome birthday gift from his parents

Nanna and Deqlan

Reece on keyboard

Deqlan on drums

Keaton blowing out his candles

The gorgeous bug cake. The kids had their own bug boxes and butterfly catching nets. Check in on Keatons blog soon for more pics, my camera was playing up so didnt get as many pics as i wanted!

1,2,3 Cheese!

Well, school day 4 down, and we are smiling. Although i think Deqlan is coming down with a cold already...

Deqlan is doing very well at his new school Little Leaps and we couldnt be happier

If you say Little, he says Leaps! He recognises the logo and letters and smiles at them

For those of you who would like to check the school out you can visit them at http://www.littleleaps.co.za/ what a lovely place it is.

As you all read last week Wednesday , Deqlans very first day was great and we were thrilled , we couldnt have asked for a better first day for our boy, and for us

Thursday, Deqlan was quite happy when i handed him the photos i have in the car, with pics of Little Leaps and his teacher Ash, then he knows we are on our way to school. Deqlan has his first speech therapy session , with his new therapist, Danita and she said it went very well, He loves books and loves when you repeat words after him, although she is still trying to make out some of the words that Deqlan is still learning to pronounce. Deqlan was happy to sit at the table and eat his 'little lunch' which is his mid morning snack. Deqlan made a friend, Thokozani, and tried to make him go to sleep during their massage session! He was very happy to see us when we came to fetch him and Ash , said he was the star pupil of the day! Deqlan seemed a little different to me, quieter, like he was shell shocked? But i know its from all the new things, the new school, new toilet training, new speech therapist, new everything...

Friday , drop off was still smooth sailing. Ash said that Deqlan was very upset by the waterplay which was very puzzling to me, seeing , as you ALL KNOW, Deqlan loves the water, so we will see if it happens again in the next session. We even sent 'big lunch' with, to see if Deqlan would be happy eating it at school! He Was! He sat at the table and ate his lunch!!! With assistance, but no moaning to get up and run around, like he does at home. Deqlan is an eat on the run kind of guy, so this step alone is fantastic! You could see it was also a painting day as Deqlans shorts were covered in blue and green paint and Deqlans hand covered in green. When we arrived to fetch him he was lying on his tummy watching the wheels on a car, so seemed a little tired and ready to come home.

Today was a hard drop off. Deqlan initially smiled when we got to school, but when we went inside, he started crying. When i left , he cried a little more and called my name. That was hard and heartbreaking to do, leave him there, crying, calling for me... i was a bit worried about today, but low and behold, we arrived to a Deqlan who didnt want to come home this afternoon! He was much more himself, much more relaxed, reading a magazine, saying words to me...thats better.

He was supposed to have his very first swimming lesson at school today, but the weather wasnt the best swimming conditions, so hopefully it can be made up for in the week again. The swimming teacher gives lessons to Little Christian Village kids and then the Little Leaps kids at a pool at the school , how great is that ! Dont know how Deqlan is going to react to another new face, but he loves swimming and we want this to be more a fun acitivity then something we are forcing him to do.

Ash also said he loved the massage session today, so much so , he didnt want to leave! Massaging really helps with their sensory processing as well as a calming technique

They also did computers today and Deqlan loved that to, which i thought he would as he loves playing on my laptop - Mark has made a slide show of cars which Deqlan has learnt to operate. He will see the logo, for eg Ford, then pictures of Fords - its really such a cool idea and i told Mark we should do animals and colours etc

Deqlan didnt actually want to come home today, it took my a few minutes and a bit of bribing to get home. The mention of jacuzzi and swim is what did it! So today my heart is singing and so happy Deqlan had a great time and is learning and thriving.

We are sort of getting into a routine, after we fetch Deqlan at 1, he comes home to Nanna, where my office is, then has a lovely long jacuzzi. A bit of Thomas or a look through a magazine, then into his room to have a sleep with Nanna. No arguments or resistance, cause now he knows what to expect whats coming next in his day. Although he is only waking up at 430 or so, and only going to sleep at 1030 at night, he is coping -i think he catches up with his sleep in the afternoon. No use forcing Deqlan to go to sleep earlier, when he is ready he shows us, and its working so far.

I am still finding my feet in our new routine and find some moments harder then others, but overall, i thank God for this amazing milestone and i look forward to updating you all with wonderful stories and adventures, new friends, new words and giant leaps!

Logan is also very happy with her new Grade 3 teacher. The athletics season has started,the highlight of the term for her and she is already coming first and second in her sprints, which she is very proud of and so are we! She has another two races today so we holding thumbs she enjoys each moment

Enjoy the photos from Keatons party!

Have a great day, God Bless, lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

When you thought i wasnt looking.....

Had to share this beautiful piece from Charli's blog:

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator,
and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking
I saw you feed astray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)influences the life of a child.How will you touch the life of someone today? Just bysharing this with someone else, you will probably makethem at least think about their influence on others.Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.Speak kindly.Leave the rest to God

OFFICIALLY 2 YEARS NED FOR DEQLAN

Deqlans NED present from Grandpa and Nanna - Thomas and the Rainbow - how stunning, Deqlan LOVES rainbows at the moment, and of course Thomas and helicopters, combine the 3 together, wow! The number of the dvd in the series is 16...and guess what, today is 16 Jan....just meant for Deqlan!

Our NED celebrations this morning , couldnt make a cake cause Deqlan cant eat it, so we do balloons !

I created 2 scrap booking pages to celebrate the occasion with all Deqlans favorite things!

Now THIS is the surprise we have been keeping...did you know that there is a train call NED as part of the Thomas range - i nearly did cartwheels in Toy zone when we found it, of course we had to get it. By coincidence, the number on it is 19, for some strange reason, Deqlan has been saying 19 for the past few weeks, without knowing the number on little NED!

Hooray, Thank You Lord , 2 years NED the rest of eternity

Deqlans little diary for Little Leaps, so cute, what a lovely idea to communicate between us and the school and to let us know what Deqlan gets up to and how well he is doing!

To Our Darling Deqlan Ross

‘ FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU’, DECLARES THE LORD .’PLANS TO PROSPER YOU, AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE’
JEREMIAH 29;11

Today Our Darling Boy we congratulate you on being NED for 2 years!!!! Praise Our Lord for His miracle of healing in you!

We continue to believe and trust and hope and thank Our Lord that you will remain NED forever and always. He has answered our prayers, He has stayed faithful to His promises to look after you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future

We couldn’t help feeling so overwhelmed packing your little Thomas bag for school on Tuesday night. To have this prayer answered of watching you go to school is indescribable. There are not enough ways and times Dada and I could say thank You God for answering our prayers, for healing you, totally and permanently.

We have so much to teach you honey, but the most important lesson we would like to give you , is that of the love of Our Lord for you. That ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE THROUGH HIM , TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE. He will always shine His light for you to follow, He will always love you, no matter what you do or don’t do. He is such a loving God he will forgive you and will show you the right way to go , if you only ask. He will heal the sick, he will clothe the poor, he will feed the hungry. He will keep His promises to those who believe and trust in him.
We continue to pray that His Holy Spirit continues to run through each and every part of your beautiful body – every vein, artery, muscle, organ, bone, bone marrow, every hair on your head, every single cell in your body and keep you NED forever and always.

We continue to ask God for the absolute honor and gift and privilege and blessing of watching you grow up – going to school, talking, making friends, having grandparents days at school, sports days, school concerts, being a part of our church, going on holidays, growing up with Logan and Keaton and your little girl cousin on the way. To watch you go through primary school and high school, go to your matric dance, get your drivers license, travel the world, follow your dreams in what field of work you want to go into ( which I suspect will be cars for sure!!!) , falling in love, having children and grandchildren of your own. Inspiring others and being a walking testimony for Gods miracles right here on earth.

How blessed are we , that you chose us as your parents and family and friends – you have changed our lives, you have made things make more sense, you have taught us life lessons that are priceless, you are the reason our faith has strengthened , you have even brought people back to church, that stopped believing in Our Mighty God.

It is are honor to watch you grow up into a beautiful boy. There are so many things that are so unique and belong only to you – things that Dada and I treasure and adore.

Your love of cars and trains – you are so bright , and your love is so intense, you are able to distinguish between 20 different cars.

The words that flow out of your mouth like music – READY , STEADY , GO! In a little British accent! COME ON! As Mickey has taught you. BYE BYE SEE YOU NOW! And even a precious moment of you saying I LOVE YOU – the first of many times I trust. RAINBOW, OH DEAR, MNET, WIVES…Oh my oy how precious these words are, how grateful we are that God is also healing you and pulling you off the spectrum and through the window, another miracle

Watching you pull Blues tail in eager anticipation of a meow!

Watching you run into a toy store, knowing you are going straight to the car section, to inspect each box, each part!

Your love of the Jacuzzi is the highlight of the day – the giggles and laughter and radiance from your face is beautiful to watch

Your big hugs and lonnggg kisses for Dada and I are the best thing in the world, they are priceless and we treasure each and every single one and wish they would last forever.

For every moment , of every day, every word, every hug, every kiss , every sea saw, every touch, every laugh, every breath, we thank God for the blessing and gift and miracle you are, we are so blessed and privileged to be your parents and we couldn’t love you more, you are our world, our everything, everything we do is for you Deqlan, we love you beyond words, you are our everything

All our love, God Bless you our beautiful boy,

keep you NED forever and always

Dada and Mama

THANK YOU TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR BEING SUCH A LOYAL PART OF DEQLANS PRAYER ARMY, WE LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU ALL, PLEASE NEVER STOP THE PRAYERS FOR OUR BEAUTIFUL BOY, DEQLAN SAYS 'ANK YOU'

Happy 2nd Birthday Keaton!!!

To a gorgeous little joy and light of our family, called, Keaton John

Happy Happy 2nd Birthday big boy!

We wish you the most beautiful , magical, adventurous day full of love, laughter, happiness and many happy memories.

Have a wonderful party and one day when you look back at the photos of this day, you will realise just how many love and adore you.

Being 2 is a big deal. You are already showing us how much you have changed and how you are growing into a little boy, no longer the little baby I used to cuddle, but I still try and cuddle you anyway Keatie!

You are truly the most beautiful gogga we know. From a little caterpillar , you have grown into the most beautiful butterfly! Your personality just radiates the colours of your adventurous wings. Your love of adventure and discovering new things each day is something we so admire.

You have the most amazing place in our hearts. Reserved just for YOU! I knew that we would have an amazing bond with you ,even before you were born , but we have been so blessed that its even stronger then we could have ever imagined. We love YOU so so so much!

The look on your face, your glowing smile, your beautiful voice calling , Ice or Mark or Deqie or Logan, is one of the most precious gifts you give us, each time we see you

You know what ? On your Birthday you are the one that is supposed to get the gifts – you know what Keatie? You are the gift to us in so many ways. Our heart swells with delight watching you grow up, your personality being revealed to us more each day, your laughter and your cuteness , the love you have for you Mama and Dada and Nanna and Grandpa, Oumie and Ivan, Great Grandpa and Nanna, Joyce, and even your precious doggies– there is only 1 Keaton that is for sure, and we are blessed to have you as our Godson, nephew and cousin.

May Baby Jesus continue to look after you, keep you safe from all harm, protect you as you go on your “expeditions”, let you continue to thrive and reach your full potential , keep you happy and healthy and well.

We pray for the year ahead to be a magical one for you – you are going to become a big brother Keatie – wow, that’s the most important job you will ever have, and we have a feeling you are going to be very very good at it.


Stay the gorgeous soul you are – know how much we love you, very very very much. One day Keatie, I promise you, Deqlan is going to hug you and hold your hand and say I LOVE YOU KEATIE, YOU MY BEST FRIEND. This is another big prayer I have asked God for .

Logie loves you so so much and already you are best of friends, even though there is a 6 year age gap

Mark and Ice are thrilled that you love being with us and we will continue to do everything to keep you safe and happy and smiling, yes, even a bit of spoiling, and turning our heads when you naughty!

And your little sister, yes, she already knows you pretty well, she loves to hear your giggles and laughter and new words – can you imagine the 4 of you together, oh boy , what fun and excitement and mischief is going to be had!

Another very important part of today is that you share this day 16 Jan 2010 with Deqlan in a very special day.2 years ago, On my way to coming to see you at the hospital , I got a call to say that Deqlan was clear from a monster he fought! Praise Our Lord for this magical day of blessings. You turn 2 and Deqlan is NED for 2 years, 2 years for the rest of forever. So you see, you have such an amazing connection that no one can ever take away from the two of you.

Have a beautiful birthday buzzy bee, we love you very very much, God Bless and continue to watch you as you continue to spread your wings and fly!

All our love , always and so much more
Mark, Ice , Deqie and Logan

prayers

Hi Deqlans Prayer army

I need to please ask you for your prayers for many of our friends around the world, fighting neuroblastoma - at this time specifically for :


Erik - www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikludwinski fighting so very hard against relapsed neuroblastoma for many years. He is in extreme pain at the moment and in need of his miracle of healing. Please also pray for Eriks amazing mom Donna and their family

Santi - www.caringbridge.org/visit/santi also fighting relapsed neuroblastoma, also in pain, needing platelets and also, his miracle of healing from Our Lord . Please pray for Santis amazing , trusting family

Will - www.willlacey.com - awaiting scan results, please pray all stable and improved and for his healing and his wonderful family

Isla - www.caringbridge.org/visit/isla - about to start new treatment plan for relapsed neuroblastoma - please pray for the perfect plan to get back to NED. Please also pray for her family who have to go through this journey again



Please pray for all the warriors, angels and survivors, fighting cancer around the world, please pray for the cure, please support where you can, please create awareness where you can.

Thank you and God Bless
Samm