Celebrating year 27

It doesn't matter how old you turn, birthdays are still one of the best days of the year. This year was no exception, even if it is year 27.

J awoke at the crack of dawn (as he usually does) to exercise with his training buddy, Mark. Upon arrival back home I promptly placed the 'Birthday Prince' crown on his head. We have a silly tradition in our little fam - every year we make one another a birthday crown...nothing fancy, just funny! J then spoke to L's mom and brother in America on Skype, followed by the unwrapping of gifts. He ate his favourite cereal from Woolworths - Maple and pecan granola - for breakfast and then sadly had to go to work...

However, he did enjoy a tasty peanut butter bomb smoothie packed with 44g of protein from Kuai for lunch and ate one of his favourite foods for dinner - Mexican wraps. Later the W's came over to give him another gift and chat the night away. As far as a birthday in the middle of the week goes, this one was pretty fantastic.

Last night for his birthday dinner, J decided to have a starter of nachos at Spur. As a teenager he used to work there so we rarely ever go to the Spur anymore, but he LOVES their nachos. Heavens they are divine!! For our main meal he chose Guido's in Vincent. It was jam packed but they found a booth tucked away in a dimly lit corner for us... it was great because we sat directly facing the telly featuring Federer playing poorly at Wimbledon. We ordered eisbein and pork chops, followed by the most light and fluffy peppermint crisp tart. We laughed our heads off, chatted about everything under the sun and left feeling like round pigs, but wholly satisfied.

This is a good start to year 27!

Happy birthday Prince J

Today my dear, wonderful, humble, handsome, hilarious, intelligent, kind-hearted, mega friendly, scriptorian, brilliant example, righteous, faithful, smiley, loving husband turns 27!

For the past few weeks J has been trying to trick me that he's turning 26 today. Haha, I'm no mathamatician, but babe I sure can use a calculator!

So 27 it is.

So to the man I love with all my heart and soul, here's celebrating YOU and the 27 years you've lived on earth! May year 27 be even better than all the rest - a year full of happiness, adventure, excitement, optimism, blessings, goodness and wonderful memories!

I love you!

Celebration of brothers S

You know the year is whizzing by when these two of our darling bro's are having a birthday again!

On this day, the 17th of April, we fondly think of these two as they are so far away (one in USA the other in P.E.) and reminisce on some of our favourite memories with them...which is a lot because they are getting old now...hahah!

If you look up characteristics of those born on the 17th of April it says says these people are accident prone, have an innate understanding of the world at large, are wise, financial security is important to them, their goals are in line with their abilities and interests, failures encourage them to try harder to succeed, are rational individuals, finicky eaters, and retain close relationships with family members. This description sums up Seth and Scott to the T!

They really are the most wonderful brothers and we consider ourselves very blessed to be in their lives. When you're around them you can't help but feel happy and thoughtful about life. They are brilliant minded souls and we love them to bits!

Brothers, we miss you and hope you are having the very best of birthdays!

Celebrating Mum

Today is my mum's birthday...don't ask which one because I swear she's been celebrating the same one for the past 5 years. ;)

We sent a gift up with M when he came to visit us last month, but we didn't mail a card. So mum, please take this as your official bday card for 2012.

Ahem.

Mum, you are so wonderful. You are exceptional even, as you have followed the steps of the Saviour and tried to become like him. You are diligent, thoughtful, highly entertaining, a good resource as you've experienced a lot of things in life (you can literally talk about anything to anyone and I love that about you), a good example, creative, beautiful, understanding, trustworthy, compassionate, sweet, a true friend, and you even have some brilliant foreign language skills ;).

We'll be celebrating your birth all those years ago not so long ago by thinking of you, devouring cupcakes and continually striving to learn from you. We love you lots, always and forever!

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Today also marks L's parents wedding anniversary!

So to one-of-a-kind mom and dad, Happy Anniversary:)

Hyrum 'Rolihlahla' W

Apparently it's National Brother's Week. Good timing, because today we celebrate our very own brother, Hyrum's, special birthday! I recently saw a mobile upload that said:

Your brother is your first male friend in life. No one will ever understand your craziness like your brother.

So true! We may have quite a few brothers, but each of them is unique in his own right. When it comes to Hyrum he's probably the most unique out of all of them (in a good way) ;)! Hyrum exudes confidence and optimism. He is incredibly influential. Whilst some may find his self compliments funny, we actually find it quite refreshing. Yes Hyrum, you are good looking. strong and a genius! In fact you're more than just that. So here's a few more items to add to your growing list of self-loves:

You are a true friend. Have a very kind heart that means well for all mankind. You have a strong testimony and a light that shines from you. You are hilarious and really know how to make us laugh! You always take an interest in us, for who we are as individuals. We appreciate that!

We love that your confidence in who you are as a W, a son of God, and an overall good human being, has encouraged our younger bro's to also believe in themselves.

So happy birthday Hyrum! May this year of your life be one of the most memorable for you yet!

A birthday trip

On the 26th of November I turned the grand old age of 24. I know...old...haha!

Honestly I've had better born days, being that I was sick and all. However, my sweet, amazing, brilliant, thoughtful husband gave me the gift of a lifetime and made a dream of mine come true! He surprised me tickets to see the talented Josh Groban performing in Port Elizabeth! Ever since I was fourteen years old and saw him interviewed on a local television show here called Top Billing, I was smitten by the tone of his voice. OK and maybe those dark curls on his head had something else to do with it. The concert was held on Friday the 2nd of December. To make this bday surprise even better, our good friends Mark and Annaline were coming along for the weekend away! Anyone who knows me knows that I love to travel and explore the world and my homeland. If you've never been on a road trip with friends I highly recommend it.

 We left on Friday morning for P.E. which is 3 hours away. Once there we shopped and ate tasty food at John Dory's and Steers. One of the perks of visiting a larger city is that they have stax more shops to browse. After a short nap to recover from the long drive at Blue Skies B&B, we headed down to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium that was built specifically for the FIFA World Cup last year.

The concert was very laid back, where all spectators could bring blankets and a picnic basket to sit on the field and eat whilst watching him serenade us under the night sky. The weather forecast threatened rain all day but thankfully it didn't. The moment he walked out on stage I was mesmerized as he broke into 'February Song'. I sat there feeling mega grateful for his talent and how he has shared it with the world. He then proceeded to sing all of my favourite songs of his. He even sang the 'African' songs with the help of a magnificent Safrican choir. Represent! He informed us that Safrica was the first country where his music took off and became successful. Too right it did...haha!

We spent Saturday doing some more shopping -- first at one of my newly favourite store J.A Floral. Really wish we had one in our town. It sells cheap arts and craft supplies, in addition to a long aisle chock full of Christmas paraphernalia. We decided to purchase some fixings for a homemade Christmas wreath and assorted cheap decorations for our first Christmas tree. (More on that to come) We then went to the Boardwalk to play ten pin bowling (another delight missing from our town lol) and have lunch at the pricey but well worth the money, Squires. Sadly though, as with all road trips, they eventually have to come to an end. I loved EVERY minute of my fun birthday getaway to P.E. And will certainly never EVER forget the amazingness of Josh Groban. Thank you J!

The gift of time

We decided to give our little brother N the gift of time for his birthday this year. We don't always have many opportunities to spend a lot of time with him, so a little play-date was long overdue. His bday excursion began with a trip to Cafe Bella at Hemingways on Saturday afternoon. There we had the most delectable sugary treats. N had a waffle with Rolo's and ice-cream and we shared a toffee/chocolatey drenched pancake with a dollop of ice-cream and cream. It was so sweet my throat burned and J declared he wanted to go to the gym right away. Haha!

After consuming what felt like a KG of sugar, N chose to see'Johnny English' at the movies. If you like Rowan Atkinson you'll enjoy this film. Since we were already over our caloric intake for the day we decided to bite the bullet and indulge in some popcorn and a slushpuppie. No regrets. :) On a side note, TinTin is coming soon to theatres (hoorah, can't wait!) as well as another Chipmunk movie (much to J's annoyance...we WILL go see it!).

We loved spending that time with little N! We are grateful for his enthusiasm, meekness and sunny personality.

Little brother N

Here's a birthday shout out to our fast growing (but still little) brother Nathanael who is 10 years old today! 10 years ago Mom went into the hospital, everyone expecting a girl. Can you imagine the surprise when N came out instead of a little girl! All those pink clothes had to be replaced with blue ones and the girly decor with boy's. Nathanael, you were the best surprise! J is grateful for a look-a-like brother and L is grateful to have 5 brothers - her dream come true! Have a wonderful 10th year little bro!

Half Century

I'm sure turning a half century is a pretty shocking moment where you realize you have lived more years on earth and have even less ahead. For M however, he is completely content with being the distinguished age of 50. We can't say enough about how awesome and inspiring he is to us. He is a great example of dedication, hard work, sacrifice, and selflessness. We hope you have a fantastic birthday M! You deserve nothing but the best! We hope to see you more in the next 50 years of your life! :)

50th Birthday Dinner

For the past month mum and I have been hard at work making preparations for a surprise 50th birthday dinner for Martin. The hardest part was fabricating a cover story to get him out the house. All those secret whisperings about the dinner paid off! We invited the W snr family so we could all be together as one big fan-damily. In the afternoon after work, J took M and our little brothers out to run some errands whilst we set up the decor, picked up the food from Nina's and waited waited waited for everyone to arrive.

It was an awesome evening full of tasty lasagna, fresh green salad, chocolate ganache cake, milktart, peppermint crisp tart, fruit juice, lemonade, and plenty of laughs and reminiscing about the 'old days'. We sure are blessed to have the best family!

Year 26

Guess who turned 26? Shout out for Jarom! Today we simply HAVE to celebrate the birth of this wonderful man, husband, son, brother, friend, slave 26 years ago. I, for one, am EXTREMELY grateful he was born. Where would I be without my J?

Everyone loves Jarom. He is hilarious, genuinely kind and interested in people, a natural leader, great example of doing what's right, and flat out diligent and motivated to improving himself in every way. One look at his worn out work shoes, marked up scriptures with hundreds of post-its on every page with quotations on, growing muscles from working out (sometimes even at 4:00 A.M before he travels out of town!) and you'll understand what I mean. He makes stressful moments lighthearted and bearable, will go out of his way to make a day special, and put up with nonsense from me.

Is there any wonder why he is sometimes called 'The Golden Boy'?

Happy Birthday my best friend!

Scott & Seth's day!

We both have a brother who was born on the 17th of April.  Both of their names start with the letter 'S'. Both are awesome guys. Only one is 22 today and the other is 10.
Happy Birthday Seth W and Scott C! Here's wishing you both have a day that is fantastic as you are! We are so grateful you were born, little brother (s). You've made our lives so much better just by being you!

The happy, fun, entertaining, smart, 10 yr old Scott!

The talented, funny, inspiring, 22 yr old Seth!

Charline & Martin's Day!

15th of February-- the day we celebrate L's dear mother Charline (mostly known as 'Mum') birth 47 years a long time ago! Most people who meet her are blown away by her youthful appearance (to clarify, she had L at age 23, and L is not her sister), her friendly nature, and randomness. Most people who meet her wish they were related to her.  Mum, we are sincerely grateful to have you in our lives! Thank you for your sacrifices when raising L, for giving the best hugs and comfort that only a mother can extend, for being a good example of living the gospel and for just being optimistic and fun! Believe us when we say WE LOVE YOU! Happy Birthday!

The 15th of Feb also marks the anniversary of L's parents' (Martin and Charline) wedding. This year marks their 15th year of marriage! L couldn't have asked for greater parents who did all they could to teach L well and who are still teaching Scottsman. Happy Anniversary parents! Another year down, eternity to spend together!

Hyrum's day

Today we celebrate the day our brother Hyrum was born, 19 years ago! What we love and admire about Hyrum: He is a true friend, he has a kind and gentle spirit, he genuinely cares about people, he can talk to anybody and make them feel loved, he has mad water polo skills, he is literally a genius, he makes tasty Malva pudding, he is not afraid to stand up for the Gospel, he works hard, he serves others and loves teaching with the missionaries, he is preparing to go on a mission. Happy birthday Hyrum!

Ramblings from a 23 year old...

On the 26th of November I, Lauren, turned 23! To celebrate, Jarom did his utmost best to make me feel incredibly special and loved by spoiling me rotten (although I hope people don't describe me as rotten)! Leading up to said day, J kept inquiring what I would like as a gift. Seeing as my dear husband will never purchase a Chelsea shirt, the only other thing I desired was to decorate our home to make it feel, well, homey. Yo. So after cleaning up after the painters (oh yes, our flat has been painted beige) J took me to Vincent Park, handed me a certain amount of bucks and set me loose in Mr. Price Home! Dream come true! After searching that store high and low for suitable decor, we settled on assorted sized frames for our wall, a clock and 3 blue and silver pillows on clearance for R50. When the pillows rang up at the cashier it registered as R25 a pillow! What a sign! Thank you birthday luck! We dashed home to hammer some picture hooks in wall and scatter the pillows to spruce up the place. Check it out, our haven is slowly but surely coming together!



Looks better yes? To be added: pic of JHB Temple.

 Thinking the awesome day to be over, J suddenly took me off to Tasty Thai for the best Thai food ever, which we took to-go, and ate overlooking our pretty city at the lookout point in Beacon Bay. After which, J whisked me off to his final surprise of the evening to watch the latest HP movie! The entire day was brilliant! I have the best husband in the world! Thank you J for being the man you are! The best of the day was being able to spend it together.

P.S) Thank you family and friends for the birthday cards, emails, sms', etc. You all added to the joy of turning 7 years away from 30. :)

Martin's Day!

To a wonderful father, friend, life coach, and example,

Happy Birthday Martin! Missing you more than ever on your special day! Lots of love, J & L

Jarom's Day

I am most thankful for the 28th of June because my dear husband Jarom was born! This year he turned the big 25! Halfway to 30, half of 50...scary maybe? His birthday fell on Monday, so hopefully he had a good start to the week. We celebrated at home with a nice dinner consisting of basil chicken and veg on our makeshift table.

There's a few things you should know about how wonderful my 25 year old husband is: 1) He never complains 2) He is hardworking 3) He will bend over backwards to help you out 4) He makes sacrifices to serve the Lord 5) He has a strong testimony and shows great faith, but the greatest thing you should know about Jarom is that he is my example. I love you J! Live it up in your 25th year!

PS) Please encourage him to spend his birthday money on a new pair of shoes he's been wanting! :)

Seth and Scott's day!

In our books, the 17th of April is one of the most important! why? Well it marks the 9th year of Master Scott Crous (L's bro) and the 21st year of our missionary hero brother Seth (who is still out there serving in Kenya! When Seth returns home we'll dedicate an entire post to him). We are so grateful for both of them!

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Dearest Scott,

Can't believe 9 years ago on the 17th of April, you were born and now you've almost lived a decade! Scott, our lives were made better when you were born! Thank you for teaching us many good life lessons. You're one of a kind! Here are some of the many things we love about you:

You are by far the cutest in the family...

We love how you are so eager to explore and learn new things, and how hard you work in Scouts!

We love your excitement! So contageous! for e.g when Santa called you on Christmas Eve and when opening presents on Christmas day! :)

You keep us entertained with your awesome sense of humor...

and your love for furry friends...

You are the COOLEST, KINDEST, MOST INTELLIGENT, FANTASTIC 9 year old brother in the whole wide world... and that Master Crous, is a fact!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you!