Family, life and the bits in between...

Being ready and Willing to be Taught

2012-11-18T13:07:00.001+02:00

So this was conference weekend for the Benoni South Africa Stake. There was so much taught that was useful and practical. The analogy of the Antlion's trap taught by Jacques van Reenen, our Stake President, left me deep in thought. There is such a close parallel with the temptations our children face. It is so easy to be enticed by what friends and others make popular and interesting that is not necessarily good.

I learned a lot this weekend. I wonder about those that don't have the opportunity to be taught so well by wonderful people. What source of learning and correction do they have? Does it compare with the what we receive both in content and application? I admit there have been times where my willingness to be instructed or even chastened was non existent and so I did not glean as much as I have of late. I have no one else to blame for the lost opportunity but myself. So what's changed?

I have learned to be content with what I have, where I am and my personal abilities and capacity. I still strive to improve where I can but there is no anxiety or desperation to be different anymore. I don't feel like I am missing out or losing out. In the process I am gaining a new appreciation for what's important and what means most to me.

Helping Hands of Service

2012-09-02T00:01:00.001+02:00

The helping hands project for 2012 started late. As the bishop of our ward I asked Chimene Viviers, my councilor's wife to find and organize a project with about 4 months to go to the due date. I was confident in her abilities but nervous about the time frame. Chimene found a newly organized school that was in desperate need for books, grass, clothes and jungle gyms. She did an amazing job of arranging for all of these needs to be met to some degree.

Springs Ward Helping Hands Team and the Staff of Payneville Primary School

The project went well. There was a good number of participants and we completed the work we set out to do. The company that donated the jungle gym saw to its installation and completed it on the same day.

The staff were grateful for the service offered but for me it was a special experience. I take too much for granted. I tout about how I would feel if this was the school my children went to. I thought about the way that this school would he the local community and I thought about how our small act of service would impact the school.

There is so much that we can offer if we are willing to give of ourselves. The giving does not have to cost much more than our time and effort. Showing an interest in our community and the organizations that are trying to make a difference has the potential make significant change happen. Eighteen years ago the apartheid regime came to an end. There are still some today that hold to its ideals. It takes so long to do away with old destructive thinking. It may take generations to undo. I hope that by continued service through the Helping Hands program that my family and I will be able to contribute towards positive change in our country and that my children will grow up free of prejudice.

Twelve Points on Attitude

2011-05-16T17:32:00.001+02:00

It is your attitude at the beginning of a task more than anything else that will determine your success or failure.
It is your attitude towards life which will determine life's attitude towards you. Despite many people's belief to the contrary, life plays no favourites.
You control your attitude. If you are negative it is because you have decided to become negative not because of other people or circumstances.
Act as if you have a good attitude. Remember, actions trigger feelings just as feelings trigger actions.
Before a person can achieve the kind of results he wants he must first become that person. He must think, walk, talk, act and conduct himself in all his affairs as would the person he wishes to become.
Treat everybody as the most important person in the world.
Attitudes are based on assumptions. In order to change attitudes one must first change one's assumptions.
Develop the attitude that “there are more reasons why you should succeed than reasons why you should fail”.
When you are faced with a problem, adopt the attitude that you can and will solve it.
We become what we think about. Control your thoughts and you will control your life.
Radiate an attitude of confidence or well-being, of a person who knows he is going. You will then find good things happening to you right away.
In order to develop a good attitude take charge first thing in the morning. Do you say, “Good morning, Lord” or “Good lord, morning”?

Author: Unknown

Ward Walk

2010-03-28T20:19:00.000+02:00

At the beginning of March our ward held a 'Ward Walk'. The first stretch was easy but as we advanced further on I discovered how little exercise I'd been having and had a rude awakening to do something about my fitness.

The attendance was excellent and there was plenty to eat.

Age was not a barrier. Ruby and Logan saw to it that they could bring their little ones along.

While parents gasped fo breath and kept talking to themselves in an effort to build up the motivation to complete the grueling walk, the children to every opportunity to enjoy their surroundings and run off to the jungle gyms and parks to play.

Fun being small.

2010-03-28T20:13:00.000+02:00

We recently had a ward activity where we had the opportunity to let our children play on an old tank. This is the kind of thing that makes little imaginations run wild. They enjoyed it.

The moms were so worried because the park where this tank is located has a lot of vagabonds and as a result there is a lot of litter and broken glass around.

The looks on their faces says it all. They loved the idea of climbing and exploring.

Growing up so fast.

2010-02-11T20:00:00.000+02:00

Time seems to be flying by so quickly. I see it in my children growing up so fast. It gets kind of scary when I think about what lies ahead of them as teenagers. Lucky for us, they have great uncles and an aunt that make a point of encouraging them to do what is right. Below are some pictures of them at a recent swimming party they had at the Maxwell's.

Time for boys

2010-02-08T20:08:00.000+02:00

Spent a great afternoon with my two brothers. Nildo brought his air rifle along and we sent a good hour or so pretending that we knew what we were doing. I hadn't seen Fabio for a while so it made it extra special.

A new start

2010-01-23T20:03:00.000+02:00

Ashley started her first day at school with her cousin Aiden. The two of them have lots of fun together. The teacher asked for a volunteer to sing a song and Aiden sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as loud as he could and was rewarded with applause from the parents and teacher. Ashley loves school and often talks about how much fun she is having.

Family Christmas

2010-01-12T19:52:00.000+02:00

The best thing about Christmas is having family over and just spending time together.

I'm sure Nildo popped a vein in his head because of blowing so hard.

Guitar hero has become a family past time. Even the children have fun with it. They screech and sing as best they can and no-one runs them down or discourages them. I think we might regret that later if the singing becomes a passion.

Nativity Scene ala Braganca

2010-01-03T19:55:00.000+02:00

We had a great experience last Christmas with our children. Our children acted out the Chjristmas story for us and entertained us with their improvised version of what they remembered about the Christmas story. They did their own costumes and props and giggled all the way through the presentation.

Above: Preparing the props and stage.

Above: Mary and her babe. Joseph admiring the baby with Mary.

Above: an angel appearing and scaring the bejeebers out of them.

Above: Wicked Kinf Herod with the wise man.

Baby Fun

2009-12-31T09:04:00.001+02:00

I love how babies are so willing to do the craziest things. I found this old photo from about four years ago of our daughter, Ashley. I believe the the hair dresser was her aunt, Kerry. The look of glee on her face made me smile. Little did she know how funny she looked!

I wish all of you a happy new year! May you have a wonderful year ahead of you.

Christmas Nativity Scene

2009-12-28T19:43:00.001+02:00

Above: Preparing the props and stage.

Above: Mary and her babe.

Above: Joseph admiring the baby with Mary

Above: an angel appearing and scaring the bejeebers out of them.

The original portuguese farmer brown!

2009-12-27T09:07:00.001+02:00

I always feel like a 'farmer when I get on my ride-on mower! All I need now is a kaki outfit. Maybe I should add that to my Christmas list. My brother in law used it recently and hit a tree root and bent the blade, so now it cuts unevenly so it makes it more of a challenge to not hack the grass, but its still much easier that doing it with a push mower.

Simple chores like mowing the lawn have become a daddy and daughter event. Ashley often askes to join me when I mow the lawn. She has fun and talks about all sorts of things while we are busy. She is getting better a driving too. Her reactions are delayed so I have to pay attention so that we don't end up smashing the mower. Its made such a difference to have a decent mower for the job.

Its difficult to think of things to do with the kids so that they grow up with fond memories. Sometimes the simplest things that we least expect end up being special moments. Yesterday, in the car, Dylan was counting down the days to 'daddy day' (first Sunday of every month for one on one time with the kids.). I never knew he enjoyed it so much! But then again, maybe its just the treats.

Another seniour citizen joins us!

2009-12-24T11:14:00.000+02:00

My younger brother turned thirty recently. He has always set his own terms for life and is now doing quite well at a job he loves. Looking at the photos from the party had me laughing so hard. Anyone who knows him will know how these photos of him bring out a look that you would never imagine him sporting.

It was a 70's theme party because he was born in the 70's. People got really creative with their outfits and many said it was a great party. His party invites were very creative, he used small LP vynils. I think the creativity came from Laura though.

In the photo below he looks like a cross between Jimmy Hendriks, John Lennon and Austin Powers. Happy birthday boet! Hope you become old and continue having fun getting there!

More Cousins!!!

2009-12-22T13:34:00.002+02:00

If it could be done our children would spend every day with their cousins.

Jesse Hugo with his mom, Ruby Hugo

Treydon Armstrong

Dallin Kent

Kassandra Celestino

The Cousins

2009-12-22T13:32:00.002+02:00

Anyone who knows our little ones will know that their cousins are their favourite people on the world!

Joslyn Armstrong

Seryn Armstrong

Tynan Armstrong

Aiden Hugo

Fun in the Garden

2009-12-18T12:42:00.000+02:00

I love taking photographs. My family at times is not in the mood though. Here in these photos the children made a game of it, trying to get past me without my getting a photo of them. I had fun with it and it gave me an opportunity to practice getting action photos. They're always tough because it is difficult to focus on a moving object, especially when you want to make us of spot focus.
Dylan worked so hard to sneak up behind me, only to find me waiting. :)
Ashley loves her brothers and often copies what they do. This was Ashley trying to sneak up on me as Dylan did.
My favourite thing about our children is how openly the express themselves. Just looking at their faces you see all that you need to when they are having fun!

Taught by the little ones.

2009-11-29T12:51:00.001+02:00

We attended the Benoni Stake Christmas pageant on the 28th November. It was a long day for the children, but they had fun.

These two are so close. They always dance and play together. Bradley puts up with Ashley's demands to have a prince in her princess games and Bradley patiently plays along.

Dylan keeps himself busy no matter what. If he is bored, he has no problem finding something else to do as you can see in the above photo.

Springs and Selcourt Wards sang a christmas song together with Laura Stolp leading the 'choir'. By this time they were so tired already that it was a bit strained. The pageant was great. It was good to spent time as a family at this event.

When it rains, it pours!

2009-07-08T23:18:00.002+02:00

On Saturday the 27th June, my wife and I joined the youth of our ward for a visit to the temple. When we arrived at home we found a stream of water running down our driveway. As we rushed to the house we discovered that water was 'raining' through our ceilings in the house. Our bedroom, kitchen, passage and part of our lounge were affected.

A water pipe had burst and had caused the water to leak through the ceilings. Our family and many ward members came to the rescue over the weekend and help us sort things out. The whole ordeal cost us a fortune just for the essential repairs. Despite the inconvenience it caused along with the financial strain, it has been a good thing for us. We have had the opportunity to work really hard as a family and has helped us pull together as a family.

At the same time this happened I have been making final arrangements at work for a major five day system upgrade that started today and as a result Candice had to do a lot of the coordinating and hard work of painting etc. while I had to go to work. Candice works so hard and does so much for our family. It is not always easy for her but she has made this whole experience a lot more bearable than it would have been otherwise.

That's what life is all about, isn't it? Surprises and challenges mixed with fun and fond memories. Its at times like this that its especially wonderful to be part of a family!

Bradley & Eddie (our bearded dragon)

2009-06-07T18:15:00.002+02:00

Medi-packs, Medicine, Bullets and Arrows

2009-06-07T18:08:00.001+02:00

I think every parent is frustrated and struggle to find ways to get their children to eat and enjoy wholesome, healthy food. Candice is great at cooking and always includes lots of vegetables in her meals. Today, I tried something new for our lunch. Whilst dishing up their meals I told the boys that I was giving them bullets(peas), arrows(carrots), medi-packs(corn) and medicine(cauliflower in cheese sauce). It worked like a charm! They had fun with it, pretending that they were wounded and having their medicine and medi-packs to recover from their injuries. As soon as they felt better they would take some ammunition to defeat the enemy. I don't know if the idea will last but we had lots of fun and they ate all their food quickly.

Afterwards my children could not resist the challenge of testing their new found strength after having their medicine on me by wrestling me to the ground and wearing me out! And to think that some people deliberately avoid having children. I don't understand it. HAPPINESS=FAMILY.

Inspiration On-Tap

2009-06-07T17:57:00.001+02:00

I often listen to testimonies on fast Sundays and soak in what people are saying about the things that keep them motivated and inspire them to do better. Today was an especially good experience. People were brief and every testimony truly seemed to come from the heart.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without a testimony? I have. It scares me. Its one of those things in my life that has been an anchor for me when I went through times of doubt and confusion. As a father I hope that my children will one day find something solid and true to build their testimony on. It is different for each of us. For me it began in my youth. I remember listening to George Long, Wynne Armstrong, Val van Niekerk, John Hugo and many others and having regular 'burning bosom' experiences. I learned from a fairly young age to recognise the promptings and influence of the Holy Ghost.

I grew up being one of two members of the church at school. My brother was the other member. There were many occasions, especially after I returned from Portugal after living there for 2 years (15-17 years of age) that I was tempted to have 'fun'. I thought that I should just not worry about what people would think and go ahead and participate in the things that were going on there. I am grateful that I never did. The experiences I had in really trying to absorb as much of the testimonies that were borne as possible had a real influence on the strength of my resolve to live right.

I am not perfect, not by a long shot, but I am better for it. Testimony meetings, as unusual as they are to other religions and denominations, are one of my favourite meetings.

Daddy's little girl!

2009-05-18T20:28:00.002+02:00

I love to watch as my children learn and become more and more independent. My daughter is now four years old. Ashley is the girl on the left of the photo with her cousin Angela on the right. She has just begun having enough confidence to pray on her own. She tries so hard to say a prayer that is meaningful. She often repeats herself but you can hear that it comes from her little heart. Tonight she was assigned to say the opening prayer for our family home evening activity. In the prayer she said; "Please help us to be very, very good. So good that we can say it lots of times until we die." I understood clearly what she meant but smiled at the way she was trying to express how good she wanted to be.

My wife has had such an important role in teaching them to be faithful in their prayers. Ashley just won't go to bed unless either Candice or I go and say her prayers with her. She truly believes that the prayers keep the monsters and bad dreams at bay. Her strong faith in the Lord's power and influence at such a young age is a wonderful lesson to me. I hope that her faith keeps growing stronger.

Sibling Buddies

2009-05-16T21:58:00.000+02:00

Growing up with siblings is not always a pleasurable experience. I'm learning so much from our boys. They get along really well and they love to spend time together. Candice found a folded paper plane with writing on it. It said "thank you for being my best brother, I love you" in Bradley's handwriting. I wish sometimes that I could hear their thoughts and know what is in their hearts.

When I hear them pray over a meal or at bed time its amazing to hear these young children plead for things that most adults don't even consider, never mind pray for. There is more to be learned in living our lives the way the Lord intended than to gain all the worldly education available to man, because the Lord's education is based on consideration for others and relationships.

Spider Man in the Making

2009-05-15T19:20:00.002+02:00

Being a child is probably the most exciting stage of life! My eldest son. Bradley is blessed with an amazing imagination and is able to enjoy the most exciting times playing his own made up games. One of his favourites is being Spider Man. My wife and I bought our children super hero costumes a while back and I wondered if the outfits would be truly appreciated. As you can see in the images, they are. Bradley will be eight years old on 29th May 2009.