These three brothers. They are God’s gift to me and to each other. Sure, there are less stable moments than unstable, and they could not be more different… but God designed Lifa, Benjamin and Wyatt each with a very special capacity for brotherly love. I pray they will be lifelong friends, always calling out the best in each other, and continually overcoming every obstacle with their unity.

Our beloved van might have had its last adventure, and we’re back to being a one-car family for now. We’re still in the thick of a long, hot summer holiday. The people (specifically, me) are going crazy.

But here’s the cool thing... We’ve unintentionally written some default codes into our family system for a time such as this…

Rondebosch Boys High School E25 Valedictory was one for the books. We got to commemorate the end of Lifa’s extraordinary high school career with grandparents, friends and overflowing memories. Pray for Lifa and the other matrics as they endure another month of national exams. And then… 💨 It’s done!

Lifa, you are set apart by God…

My sons are 17, 6 and 3 years old. One is preparing for the last exams of his high school career; one is practicing subtraction; and one is learning to sing the ABC's. Almost every evening, all three brothers gather around our low coffee table to play dominoes. The oldest makes sure both of his brothers get a win, but all three are completely unified in purpose and passion. The proverbial "playing field" is leveled by their brotherhood.

Chris’ parents are here! Today was our first day together. GoGo Sherry joined us for soccer practice, and everyone gathered around the coffee table for bedtime dominoes.

Sometimes I get caught up in my grief over living so far away from our parents. But days like today remind me of the power of love. It holds fast, doesn’t lose shape, and grows from a distance. Our kids never skipped a beat, and the house felt so much better with them here.

We’ve found another happy place in our beautiful city. The Atlantic Seaboard promenade is not new to us - but exploring the rock pools at low tide has become our new favorite pastime this spring. (We’ve been three times in a week.) Benjamin catches crabs. Wyatt plucks pin cushion stars and throw rocks. We fill our faithful traveling aquarium (a plastic measuring cup). And we always pause to reflect on the Creator. The infinite details. The immeasurably loving masterpiece. He is so much more than good. But He is indeed so so good.

The beginning of the ends has begun. Yesterday, my first baby towered over me as a full-blown man and endured my photo requests like a champion.

Matric Dance is an extravagant event for grade 12’s that commemorates the entirety of their high school years. In American context, it’s kind like a culmination of prom and project graduation.

Tomorrow marks ten years of being husband and wife, but we joke that we should count in “dog years” for all the life we’ve lived in the last decade.

A pastor’s wife game me “The Power of a Praying Wife” by Stormie Omartian when we got married. She reads through the book every year, so I thought I’d give it a try too. It has become a powerhouse in my life! I’ve learned to pray Scripture, been continuously turned to Biblical order, and been awestruck again and again as I’ve watched God move for my husband and our family.

I didn’t have the mental or physical bandwidth to hit my weightlifting goals this week. (And the goals are minimal!) BUT today I showed up anyway. My most important commitment was never lifting weights for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. It’s much more about stewarding my life well. He pre-paid for it with His Son’s. I’ve committed to God, my family and myself to keep showing up with what I’ve got. Today that looked like a short run in the sunshine. It got my endorphins flowing and reminded my spirit to keep showing up, even if it’s not the original plan…

Here’s the next thing coming for Church Home! Check out this invitation and video from Chris (and Wyatt and Frank). And PRAY with us. After our first Good Stuff night on September 1st, we’ll start gathering in small groups. And let’s see what God does from there!

Crocs, snakes, tortoises - oh my!

Lifa sustained a serious injury on the rugby field on Saturday. Our whole family watched him get carried off the field on a stretcher. We spent the rest of the day waiting, praying and, finally, thanking God when he got cleared to go home. He’s been booked off school for recovery from a severe concussion, but, as it turns out, our house isn’t so restful! …

I love how Wyatt holds his dad's hand so he can gallop with more velocity. I love how Lifa starts a game of Croc rugby when we go to the only place in Cape Town that doesn't allow balls. I love how Benjamin wheeze-laughs and screams, "I LOVE THIS" when his big brother ankle taps him and knocks him out. I love how Wyatt throws himself on the ground after Benjamin gets tackled to feel like he's part of the game. I love how Lifa can fish for tadpoles and still look like a model. I especially love the handsome man that holds us all together with his incredibly intentional, kind, and discerning love.

Yesterday was my husband's 42nd birthday. The kids and I threw him a lemonade-themed birthday party at home. I set a beautiful table with a freshly-ironed tablecloth and a vase full of lemons. We had strawberry lemonade with dinner and went back for seconds of lemon cake and ice cream. He even had to hunt for his homemade gifts in a basket of lemons! It was silly and simple. We talked about the meaning behind our celebration during dinner between giggles and our toddler's frighteningly man-like belches.

We celebrated our favorite guy's birthday yesterday with a lemonade-themed birthday party. When 41 throws lemons, you make lemonade in 42!

We had lemon decorations, a homemade gift hunt in a basket of lemons, strawberry lemonade, and lemon cake and ice cream. It was silly, sweet, and the most purposed celebration we have ever had.

I love learning. Educated perspective often allows us to move forward. In my Marriage and Family Therapy Masters program, the brokenness within the inner-city Los Angeles families I served was harrowing. Once I learned to see the systems behind them and apply the intricacies of development and other critical layers, I could see hope. I felt honored to step into the trenches with hurting families and help them heal.

But my research-loving brain has hit overload lately. Too many tabs are open.

I joke with friends who tell me about their relaxing weekends that there's "no chill at the Ladd house". Benjamin has always required less sleep and more intense physical activity than all the parenting books said. During the extra-long days and nights, I've learned terms like "sensory seeking" and a profile of autism best understood as a nervous system disability.

But we found our rhythm: high energy, always moving, wildly caffeinated (me!), and full of connection and joy…

I was up late recently, rattled by the twists and turns of parenting a child with special needs. A teething baby demanded comfort just as I started to settle. One hour of sleep later, it was time for a new day to start! There was a redeeming moment in the nauseatingly caffeinated day that followed. All three kids were in the car, and my four-year old was practicing the Bible verse we were learning. My teenager said…

Summer is in FULL SWING in Cape Town. We’ve been sweating for days (and nights), but we relish in forced trips to the beach and pool together.

Seasons have a way of shifting us when we wouldn’t do it on our own. We get less done, linger later, and master cannonballs in this heat that we wouldn’t have chosen if it was up to us. There just might be something for us on every season!

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO... I stepped foot on South African soil for the first time with a sparkle in my eye and a six month plan to save the world.

I always knew God made me to strengthen families. The way I see it, strong families make strong churches. Strong churches make strong communities. Strong communities strengthen other communities. And, slowly but surely, the world is transformed for the glory of God.

We've heard stories of oceans parting, bones dancing, blind seeing, and the Redeemer resurrecting. Yet I still squirm when I'm the one that needs the miracle. I know God CAN do it... I'd still praise Him if He didn't do it... But having a need there's no way we could ever meet on our own is a very humbling thing.

We asked God and His people for funding for our boys' 2025 school fees. It was not a small ask - almost $13,000…