Hello Dentist

Yip, we will be taking Deqlan to the dentist again tommorow. I would love to say it was just for his 6 monthly check up, but a few nights ago, we noticed our young man fiddling with his front teeth!

Mark quickly called me over to have a look and there, a beautiful whole stared back at me . Right between his front teeth!!!

Deqlans front teeth are very brittle, for lots of reasons, including drinking juice, possibly chemotherapy ( we have heard) and his recent procedure, where Nicky had to take the nerves out of the front teeth to.

If i have not mentioned it before, Deqlan LOVES to put EVERYTHING he can into his mouth, and i think he may have try to bite something with his front teeth , and a weak spot has broken off!!!!

Its not an eyesore, but its not something i would like to leave to get worse and maybe even break more! So i am hoping and praying the amazing Dr Nicki can suggest some wonderful, pain free, super quick, super easy, supper strong way of preventing any further damage! Please pray this is the case and our visit tommorow afternoon is quick and a happy ending one!

Deqlan is having a super week and definitely more himself, less frustrated,more verbal, loads of interaction and loads of new things every day

The current theme at Little leaps is South Africa and this week alone they have made boerewors rolls, pictures of Nelson Mandela, traditional art, Zulu shields and the most wonderful thing of all, is to hear the FIFA Official World Cup cd playing in the background with Shakira and R Kelly and Nkosi Sikeleli and Shosha Loza ! Ayeline says the boys love trying to sing with and dance to Waka Waka!

I am thrilled that Little Leaps is also having a family fun day on the 7th of August in the theme of I WAS THERE and will be singing songs related to the world cup and those they sang at Grandparents day earlier in the year . I cant wait , cause Mark will be able to see Deqlan and his friends singing, along with Megs and the kids - only Nanna and Grandpa, Granny Rene, Great Nan and Grandpa were allowed to see the original show earlier this year! I cant wait to see Deqlan singing again and i cant wait to re live a little of the world cup - which i miss so much!!! all the excitement and feeling of togetherness and celebrations ...it was an unforgetable time for our country, i think South Africa did an amazing job!

We off to Josh's first birthday party this weekend ! cant wait to see you little guy to catch up with all my dear friends whom i have missed SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOO Much!

The house hunt continues, we havent found ' home' quite yet , but will continue to trust God to lead us in the right direction, where we will be safe and happy and healthy!!!

Please continue the prayers for those needing them right this moment, NICK, YLARIA, QUINCY, KATIE, CONNOR, JED


Have a lovely weekend everyone, God Bless, all our love
Mark Samm Deqlan Logan
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME

Happy Birthday

Dear Z

Wishing you a very Happy for today! Hope its been a great day and that you have lots of celebrations in store to celebrate! Stay the very special person and friend you are , thank you for all your prayers and friendship!!!

Dear Mariska

Happy Birthday to you to for today! Praying the year ahead is fantastic in every way! Hugs to your precious girl Kayden to!

God Bless, lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

Happy 4th Birthday Charli!

Dear Charli!!!

Wishing you a very very Happy 4th Birthday for today and many, many, many more!

We hope the year ahead is going to continue to be magical and an amazing adventure for you in every way! May God continue to keep you in His loving arms, happy and safe and healthy always!!!

Stay as gorgeous as you are, sending you lots of love and hugs

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

Little Leaps re launched website

Hello Deqlan fans!

Please go and visit www.littleleaps.co.za to enjoy Deqlans schools, relaunched website - its absolutely gorgeous and i am so proud that we are apart of this loving family. It really is a family that we love and cherish. Each and every single boy and now 1 girl!!!! has such a special place in my heart , i adore these kids and i applaud the teachers for the AMAZING job they are doing!!

Go and enjoy the gallery for pictures of all the boys and all the awesome activities they get up to! Navigate the site to learn more about autism and what Little Leaps does to help our boys reach the stars and beyond! Let me know what you think !

God Bless lots of love
A very proud mom!

6 myths about autism

Because there's still so much that's not understood about autism, there are many common myths about it. Learn what's fact and what's fiction.
By Diana Rodriguez

Though there's still much about autism that isn't completely understood, there's a lot that we do know. If you're a concerned parent or guardian, start by learning the facts about autism.
Common Autism Myths Debunked

Here are some common myths about autism and the truths behind them:


Myth No. 1: There's an autism epidemic going on. While there's no epidemic, more diagnoses of autism are being made today than in the past. But exactly why this is so isn't understood. Perhaps there are more cases, but it's also been speculated that the rise in autism diagnoses has more to do with better diagnostic methods. The diagnosis of autism has also expanded to include other autism spectrum disorders, which include more symptoms, more conditions, and more cases.


Myth No. 2: Childhood vaccines can cause autism. There's much discussion today about autism and vaccines, with many new parents refusing to vaccinate their children for fear of autism. But the truth is that no studies have proven any correlation between autism and vaccines. Though there have been a number of studies done on this subject, none has been able to conclusively show childhood vaccines as a cause of autism.


Myth No. 3: All autistic children are actually geniuses. Every child is different, and being autistic doesn't change that. Children with autism aren't necessarily geniuses. Just like other children, they have their strengths and weaknesses, and a wide variation in IQ scores. Some autistic children do show real strengths, whether it's with numbers (as in the movie "Rain Man") or memory, yet these are often countered by real weaknesses, like physical difficulties or difficulty understanding the concept of a game.


Myth No. 4: Autistic children don't feel emotions. Children with autism can love, and they can become frustrated, and even angry. Autistic children feel emotions — it's just that they don't express them in the same way that other children do. They may have difficulty with physical affection or expressing their frustration (resulting in a major tantrum), but that doesn't mean that they don't feel. Parents of autistic children will have to learn how their child expresses affection and emotions, and adjust their behaviors to express affection back in a way that makes the child comfortable.


Myth No. 5: Autistic children can't speak. Autism has a huge range of symptoms and a wide range of severity within those symptoms. While some children may have little trouble communicating verbally, others may have more limited communication skills. Others are in between, using incorrect grammar, tenses, and pronouns, or using sign language to compensate for verbal difficulties. But most children with autism do learn to communicate.


Myth No. 6: Autism can be cured. Unfortunately, there is no cure for autism. It's a biological condition that can't be stopped or reversed, but treatment can be very successful in helping to manage autism. Therapy can help autistic children learn to overcome some of their developmental delays and allow them to lead a happy and normal life. However, no drug, food, or therapy can completely alleviate autism.


Autism, like most everything else, isn't exactly as it appears in the movies or on TV. So whatever your preconceptions about autism are, if they are based on myths, rumors, or anything that's not founded in reality, they're not likely to be true. Know the facts about autism, and help to clear up the myths.

Little Leaps Penguin class of 2010

Introducing the Penguin class of 2010!!

Deqlan is in the second row, blue top, third from left!

I just love this photo, and i just love these boys, they EACH have such a very special place in my heart and i just love getting the high fives and hugs each morning when i drop Deqlan off! I just love hearing about Deqlans day when fetching him, and seeing the excitement in his teachers as the tell me all the wonderful things he is doing each day!!

Today, Deqlan didnt even ask for his very loved juice bottle once! He is drinking from his cup and straw!! He is answering questions - not just saying things to say them , we are having a two way conversation!

Like pointing to a car and me asking him " what car is that" " toyota!"

'what colour is that? " "blue"

Thank you Lord for my beautiful Deqlan Ross, whom i adore and cherish and love more then words could ever express! Thank You Lord for this amazing school that is helping Deqlan reach his full potential , thank you for his lovely teachers who love and understand him and celebrate with us each and every day.

So proud of you Deqlan!

Happy Birthday Debbie

Dear Debbie

Happy Happy Birthday for today!!! wishing you a fantastic birthday and the most wonderful, unforgetable year ahead!

I wish you a safe trip home and a safe start to your new adventures as you make your way back home!

Cant wait to see you and meet your gorgeous kids ! Have a lovely day, hope you are spoilt and thank you for always being such a massive support for us, and for all your never ending prayers for Deqlan!

God Bless and lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

a hunting we will go!

the new alphabet puzzle Deqlan is thrilled with!
I was blown away at how much Deqlan understood this game - you have the letter of the alphabet and then you hae to find the picture that goes with that letter and the first time we did the puzzle, Deqlan could find most of the pictures i asked him to without help! HE LOVES THIS PUZZLE, he gets so excited when i ask ' WHAT PICTURE STARTS WITH A' and he runs and finds the picture amongst the other pieces! So impressed my darling boy!

At Fairy Peytons party yesterday - Deqlan was of course smitten by Peyton and just wanted to hug her, but she wasnt having any of it!

Enjoying watching Peyton open her presies!

Deqlan love getting on and off the tractors and checking out their wheels and gadgets

we spent alot of time in the parking lot to, no surprise, naming each car !

This was a real treat for our big boy to play in this beetle !



A hunting we will go for a new house. The owners have decided to sell the house, accepted an offer, meaning we have to find a new place to rent by 1 Sep!!! Oh boy, we havent got to much time so have already started looking, but nothing has 'spoken' to us yet, so the searh continues! Please pray we can find a lovely place that we are safe and happy in! This is also going to be very unsettling for Deqlan to go into a brand new space - i know he is going to ask us to take him home - like he does when he has had enough of a place! so we need to try and get all un packed and looking like our place as soon as we can to try and get him feeling settled.

Deqlans frustration levels have definitley decreased - we are still having tummy issues and at times he is hitting himself in the face, but hopefully these will also resolve to with the diflucan we are on AGAIN to fight the candida.

Deqlan continues to say new words each day, and he is learning incredibly quick - he will hear a song once and he will know most of the words and tune. I am beginning to think he might have a photographic memory - he remembers the tiniest of details down to a t.

He had a great time at Peytons party yesterday but definitely prefers to do his own thing - he did try to approach the kids on a few occasions, but they dont understand why he wants to hug them etc....thats the difficult part and thats why i need to be with Deqlan to help try and explain to the other kids ...i know one day he will be able to understand the situations himself. I try not to be in his face to much and let him feel like he is doing his own thing - i only jump in when i can see it could cause a problem, like wanting to wake a sleeping baby or hug a pretty fairy princess!!

Hope you all have a great week ahead - please continue to pray for our gorgeous boy to remain NED always and forever. Please pray for all those fighting cancer from around the world - there are so many needing miracles this very moment, Nick, Connor, Jed, Ylaria, Katie , please pray for them all.

God Bless, thanks for popping in

All our love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

SACRED HEART OF JESUS WE PLACE OUR TRUST IN THEE ALL FOR THEE OH LORD OH MY JESUS ALL FOR THE

Dear Peyton

Wishing you a very Happy 4th Birthday for yesterday! We hope you loved your fairy party, you are the prettiest fairy i have ever seen! Thanks for the lovely party ! We hope you enjoying all your lovely presents, stay as gorgeous and cute as you are!

Dear Sam

Wishing you the most wonderful birthday dear friend, for today and the most magical year awaiting you! May all your dreams become a reality , may all the blessings of health and love and laughter be showered upon you! Hope Don and the kids are letting you put your feet up today! Missing you and hoping you settling back into your home again! Have a fantastic day to a very special person!

God Bless lots and lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

Miss Khloe Rose

Wanted to share some of these gorgeous photos from Khloes newborn photo shoot, done at just 2 weeks old, they are to precious for words, enjoy!

At Last! Some more pics of our confirmation!

Love this phot of Megs and i treasuring our confirmation "moment"
Megs and me and the rest of our class carrying the Gifts to the altar

Megs precious and beautiful confirmation moment

as I got confirmed

my favorite photo, Me with Grandpa as my sponsor and Megs with Mom as her sponsor

Father Edward blessing our confirmation class of 2010

Our exquisite candles Mom so lovingly made for us, thank you Darling Mom they were to beautiful for words

Just as we thought mumps had left our house for good...

Our little Deqlan had a rough rough week last week, fighting the mumps.

As you know he was diagnosed with them on the Saturday. Then last Tuesday morning, he started with a fever and then he just stopped eating and started throwing up, everything, even a sip of water. It was horrible to see and so distressing for Deqlan - even while he was sleeping we had to sit him up several times during the evening . After going back to our house doctor, and him checking over Deqlan twice and not finding anything specifically wrong ...God lead us to the most amazing paediatrician ever.

She was so empathetic to Deqlans story . She, out of her own said, ' DO YOU THINK THE CHEMOTHERAPY COULD HAVE TRIGGERED THE AUTISM?' My mom burst into tears, for the first time, a 'normal' doctor was on the same page us. Of course Deqlan had to have the gene and something would trigger it...

She was on the floor playing with Deqlan, getting into his world, making him feel comfortable with her - she was AMAZING and said Deqlan was really not affected so badly with autism and she thought him to be more Aspergers...mmm...interesting "so does his principle at school", i said!

She couldnt see anything causing Deqlan to throw up , but thought it could be still related to the mumps, but wanted us to go and get an xray just in case....my nerves....but i tried hard to remain calm and quiet and in prayer on the way to the xrays... Deqlan stood still for his picture and in no time at all, we were back at the doctor recieving the great news of no obstructions... so she put it down to viral from the mumps infection. She told us she would be honored to be Deqlans paed and even walked us to the car!!!!!!!!!!!!! By Thursday evening Deqlan started asking for food and keeping it down, Praise Our Lord we were so concerned about him.

He went back to school yesterday, but candida has definitely flared up again, from the antibiotics probably - he is throwing things, more frustrated and not using words to tell us what he wants, but just crying straight away....thankfully we know the signs and got him onto diflucan straight away and hoping in the next few days he feels more happy and comfortable with himself

He is also addicted to his bottle - more then normal - even Aiylene, Deqies teacher says, its become a real security blanket for him , he wants to have it in his mouth all the time..not even wanting to sing at greetings anymore! This has also become more of an issue since candida popped its ugly head into the picture again. So we are going to try very very hard, much harder then before to get him of his beloved juice bottle and drinking from a cup and straw - we have every cup and straw cup you can think of and he just wont take to any of them, we HAVE TRIED, but we have to try for his teeth sake to!!!


And then ...... there were two people in our house with mumps ... Mark came home last Monday saying that his gland was sore and swollen - that, was an understatement my friends, it was the size of a golf ball, and the swelling around his neck had started. I told Mark it looked like he had mumps to and he said it was impossible he had mumps when he was small!!! Well, when he woke up on Tuesday morning , there was NO DOUBT in my mind i was looking at mumps , again.... Doctor confirmed and booked Mark off for the week...so both boys at home last week, resting and getting better

Just as the swelling started going down and Mark feeling ready to go back to work, he said his left side jaw was a little tender and he had a fever...oh oh....the doctor actually warned us that the swelling could go down the one side and start the other ...but what are the chances of that happening???? of course Mark would be fine to go back to work with no more mumps...well my friends , Marks gland next to his ear is on the way to being the size of a golf ball, along with his jaw and cheek....so definitely not gone yet....shame...they say its worse for adults then for kids, please pray he gets over this soon , i think he is starting to dislike the 'heavy' feeling very much!


Well, now you know why i have been so quiet...and hopefully everyone will be back to great health soon soon !!!!

Have a great week and watch this space for more posts, more often, i promise

God Bless, lots of love
Mark Samm Deqlan Logan
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

p.s - please continue your prayers for Jed, he is going for an MRI today , post surgery , please pray its absolutely clear of disease!!!

Happy Days

We have had quite a rough/ busy/ happy week- Deqlan and Mark both had mumps - Deqlan was very sick the past few days not eating not keeping anything down..but thank Our Lord, is much better and will be going to school tommorow - promise to give you a decent update when i have time tomorow, but in the mean time, before any more birthdays become to belated

DEAR MICH

Happy 30th Birthday for 14 July!! We hope you had a stunning day with lots of celebrating ! We hope the year ahead opens many many doors for you, and that all your dreams come true, stay the very special person you are!! Thank you for continuing to follow Deqlans journey and for all your support and friendship and for always checking in with us and all your prayers

DEAR GRAN

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday for 16 July !!! We hope you enjoyed the day and we hope you enjoyed the afternoon with your ladies from the church ! Thank you for being such an important part of Deqlans prayer army and for all your prayers, love and support and messages of hope and inspiration and encouragement you continue to send, these mean SO much to us, thank you!

DEAREST DEBS

Wishing you a magical birthday for today and many many many more! Hope you are spoilt rotten today and surrounded by all those who love and treasure you! Hope there is lots of sun and fun and laughter in order for the day! Thank you to for being a massive part of Deqlans prayer army , for all your never ending , love and support and prayers which we treasure! Have a beautiful, beautiful day!!!

DEAR DAN

Wishing you also a very Happy Birthday for today! Hope its been a great day doing all the things you enjoy doing! May you have a great year ahead and be blessed in every way - it was great to see you all at Grandpa's 80th and hope to see you all again soon! Thank you to for all your support for our family and especially Deqlan!!!

DEAR MADIBA

What a day for our country, what a day for you, Happy 92nd Birthday Madiba! As always, i am honored to call my self a South African , honored to be a part of the country you made the world look at and take notice of. You are a living legend and your deep love for the people of our country and the world is so evident in all that you do! Happy Birthday and we wish you many many more!

Good Luck Damian as you depart on your European tour for the ice hockey championships! We hope you have an unforgettable trip, we hope you enjoy the fantastic experience, travel safely and score lots of goals, we are all very proud of you and loved watching the dvd your folks sent of you and Chenya - you are both so talented and gifted!!!!

God Bless, lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

THE MIRACLE BOY

Remember Connor, who was sent home because nothing else could be done for him? This is his mom, Tania Gerber's status update today: My son is truly a Miracle Boy, took him back yesterday did some retesting, received good news Connor's bonemarrow is clear, all organs are clear and back to normal but will continue on ant...ibiotics for his pneumonia, thank you thank you thank you for all the prayers!

WWW.CARINGBRIDGE.ORG/VISIT/CONNORGERBER

WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYERS FOR CONNOR!!!

And then there were mumps!

So, yesterday, Deqlan seemed to have a lot more redness on his cheecks but especially more on the right hand side. It also looked as if his face was a little fuller...i thought there is where the weight he has picked up has gone to??? Last night Dada also notice Deqlan was a lot fuller in his face,could it be the inflamation from his ear infection?

Then this morning Deqlans face was ALOT FULLER and i panicked a little, and then Mark told me to calm down. The thought of mumps crossed my mind and i immediately got onto the world of google and checking symptoms and photos and everything i could think of, and it quickly painted a picture of a strong possibility of Deqie having mumps

So off to the doctor we went, who said ' AG NO! ' when he saw us, again today. He confirmed mumps , on top of the tonsilitis and ear infection Deqlan was diagnosed with on Thursday!!!! There is nothing you can do for mumps, its a virus which has to run its course and we can treat for the fever, pain in the jaw and ears etc. Deqlan is contagious until the swelling goes down which we think would be by Thursday next week...so no school till then...and no seeing the cousins...and no seeing Grandpa, cause he hasnt had mumps ever and it could be extra dangerous for him

Deqlan hasnt had the mmr vaccine, as we were not willing to chance it with the implications it could possibly have on Deqlans autism spectrum disorder - so he has only had 1 measles vaccine out of this combo. Please pray for us he has no serious complications like meningitis and that we can keep our beautiful boy happy and entertained and healthy at home for the next few days .

Poor little monkeys tummy is now upset cause of the antibiotics he is on for his throat ...... but he is still smiling and talking and singing and wrestling!

Thanks for your prayers, have a great weekend, God Bless, love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

DARLING MOM AND DEE

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!
MAY YOU SEE MANY MANY MORE TOGETHER! THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR EXAMPLE OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, SUPPORT AND FRIENDSHIP WITH EACH OTHER. WE HOPE TODAY IS MAGICAL AND THAT ALL THE MEMORIES OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL WEDDING DAY, REMAIN FRESH IN YOUR MINDS AND HEARTS ALWAYS, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND ASK OUR LORD TO GIVE YOU THE GIFTS OF LOVE, AND HEALTH AND HAPPINESS – THANK YOU FOR DOING EVERYTHING TO MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER – YOU ARE BOTH SAINTS ON EARTH AND WE ASK OUR LORD TO SHOWER YOU WITH ALL HIS NEVER ENDING GIFTS.

ALL OUR LOVE, TODAY AND ALWAYS, GOD BLESS
MARK SAMM DEQLAN LOGAN

our new blog

I think we lost some of our followers along the way of changing blogs , so if you following on updates, sending again so you will hopefully see , our new blog is www.deqlanhigginsblog.blogspot.com see you there!! Love Deqlan

TONSILITIS IN THE HOUSE

Yip, Deqlan has tonsilitis again, and this time has also given him an ear infection

He isnt himself and doesnt want to eat, but we do have moment of him running around and feeling ok - but then he will climb into bed himself and hold his ear every now and then. He has a bit of a fever every now and then , but not as bad as his first dose of tonsilitis 2 months ago, so think we caught it in time. He doesnt even want to eat his biscuits ...then you know it must be sore, shame, he has red red cheeks and you can see he isnt feeling great.

Deqlan on a 7 day antibiotic course to make sure we get rid of the bugs for good and we are hoping this doesnt wreak havoc with his candida issues again...we just got his tummy right after the rice milk episode last week!

So that means a weekend at home, in bed, warm and resting and hopefully back to school on Monday

We had a party and baby shower planned but will have to enjoy the photos im afraid!

Have a great weekend and VIVA ESPANA!!!!
God bless, love Mark Samm Deqlan Logan
SACRED HEART OF JESUS WE PLACE OUR TRUST IN THEE, ALL FOR THEE OH LORD, OH MY JESUS ALL FOR THEE

' i am james and i like bananas'

Deqlan never used to like things on his head, brushing hair, cutting hair, washing hair! We are delighted to see that he goes to fetch his cap now to put on his head and tolerates it for s few minutes!
Deqlan lining up the bikes at papacinos - all is fine and well until other kids come along and want to ride on the bikes = no more line for Deqlan = a very upset little guy -we got to work on helping Deqlan cope with other kids in social situations like this, where he cant have all the items to line up! So we try and avoid an upset, if we see kids coming, we try and distract him with something else, then go back when the 'coast is clear'

Our little bike rider! A few months ago, he wouldnt even get on the bike, now he gets on all by himself and is picking up more and more speed with each try!

Deqlan LOVES merry go rounds and was delighted to find this one at Centurion mall for the holidays - of course we have already made a couple of visits with Deqlans pure delight as a result

Deqlan carefully building his wall of bricks, he does get very frustrated when they fall over or he cant balance them just right, but practise makes perfect my boy!


We has such a lovely celebration with Grandpa! He said it was one of the best days of his life..you could see that! It was wonderful to be together with all the family again and catch up after so many years/months of not seeing each other.

Deqlan was a superstar and coped very well with all the people, he was quite entertaining and friendly to most to!

On the entertainment front...Mark came running to me with Deqlan in his arms saying Deqlan had stuck something up his nose, i was to go and get a tweaser. Deqlan went to Mark and said 'NOSE . OUT' I sprinted so quickly up Meggie's stares, i dont even remember getting up and down them. I tried to get the metal ball out Deqlan had pushed up his right nostril! I was in such a state i think i pushed it a little further in! Mark told me to go and get my mom who was lovingly cutting Grandpa's birthday cake. I sat praying and crying with a million thoughts running through my head, as i watched Nanna get the metal ball out after three tries. Thank You Lord and thank you Nanna- i was in such a state Conrad had to give Mark and I a shot of whiskey. I just had visions of us needing to get Deqlan into theatre to get it out...i dont know why he decided to push something into his nose, he has never before! He seems to be discovering this "apparatus" this week by breathing his nostrils in then laughing! So we are watching him very closely and have thrown all little bits and pieces out of sight!

This week was back to school, not officially but for a week of playing and fun and getting back into routine again before the real deal starts next week. Deqlan was ok to stay yesterday when i dropped him off , but today politely told his teacher Ayline ' THANK YOU BYE BYE' and gave her a kiss ...shame....he just wanted to come home again. I stayed for his occupational therapy session which is going so well by the way, you cant believe the difference to when he was with Anneke last year, to this year - wow He has come leaps and bounds and craves the specific activities targeted to help with specific things..Deqlans favourite is the frog swing. He calls it 'HOP HOP AGAIN AGAIN' which you can sit in, lie on your tummy in, bounce around, twirl around..its awesome, but while he gets the enjoyment out of the swing he needs to do certain activities. At the moment Anneke is working on Deqlan picking up bean bags and throwing over skittles - this is an activity which will help with Deqlans planning , his balance and proprioception.

I had a 'WHAT WAS I THINKING' moment last week. Woolies ran out of Deqlans organice rice milk, which we know he can tolerate and is 'clean' of all the no no's Deqlan isnt allowed. When they run out , we scower the 8 woolies in around surrounding area, and hopefully within a day or two crisis is resolved and Deqlan is drinking his 'MILK HOT' again. This time, no stock . For 2 Weeks! We resorted to a powder rice milk which is mixed with water - we have done so before, but only for 3 days max (when Deqlan has his vma markers done , we switch to this as it doesnt contain vanilla like the woolies one - this can affect the score). This time, we were on the powder variety for 2 weeks. Deqlan was a little more 'feisty' then normal, a little more concerned about lining and grouping things together, but most concerning was his tummy. Shocking nappies again, after every single thing he ate, a different colour - i could go on my friends, but i will leave the discription there. After Mark and I wracking our brains on what could be upsetting his tummy so much, we investigate the powder rice milk option a little closer. Nanna gave us a call on Sunday morning, saying she checked and one of the ingredients in the powder variety - MALTODEXTRIN - was gluten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So Deqlan has been on a gluten trip for 2 weeks! No wonder his tummy was so unhappy and that he was a little more feisty ..thank Our Lord, thats all that happened for it - thankfully Woolies is back in stock, and i continue to clear the shelves each time i go to ensure we have enough stock should there be a 2 week delay again. Our little Deqlans tummy is just so so sensitive , we can tell immediately when something has been ingested that shouldnt be in his system!


Deqlan has taken a liking to watching You Tube clips - it all started with Nanna finding Flipper the dolphin - which both boys love and can even sing the words to - we found the most awesome clips of colours and numbers, days of the week, fruit and vegies - you name it - Deqlan continues to love learning visually - this is the best way for him for sure. He picks up on the words and tunes of songs and rhymes so quickly - but we got to keep an eye on the clip - Deqlans new sentence ' I AM JAMES AND I LIKE BANANAS' he even says it with the same accent the little boy does!

We had Logan with us for a long part of the holiday and it was great to see Deqlan initiating games with her..he really loves her and asks for her all the time. Logan really got into the swing of the world cup and loved watching with us, screaming with us for bafana and brazil and even predicting the scores!



Deqlan continues to love his love and learning dvs, but we know listen to the audio cd in the car when travelling and this results in a massive smile on his face when we start driving- new sentences include

'delicious means its tastes good'

'vibrate means to shake'

'eject means to take out'

'collapse means to fall down'

'1 plus 1 equals 2'

'1 plus 2 equals 3'

Well hope you all ready for the Germany Spain game - of course we are shouting for Spain in honor of Connor Gerber -please continue your prayers for him and his family. Please also pray special prayers at this time for jed ,katie, nick, quincy, elizabeth, nathan, and for Wills scans on Wednesday to give great great news!


ALSO

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEV! WE HOPE YOU HAD A FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY! EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM YOU, WE SENDING YOU ALL OUR LOVE AND BEST WISHES AND PRAYERS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD TO BE THE MOST AMAZING AND MAGICAL EVER! ALL OUR LOVE AND GOD BLESS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE COLE FOR 7 JULY - HOPE ITS A MARVELOUS DAY WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND LAUGHTER AND CUDDLES, STAY AS CUTE AS YOU ARE! LOTS OF LOVE AND HUGS TO YOU!

Have a great evening everyone

Lots of love

Mark Samm Deqlan Logan

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

Grandpas 80th Birthday

Grandpa and his great grandkids helping him blow his candles out!
Gorgeous Logie wearing the earmuffs Aunty Shirl and Aunty Val got for her

Denise, Aunty Jen, Jeran, Uncle Ken with Nan and Grandpa

Still as in love after 56 years of marraige!

Our amazing 'man of the match' 80 innings not out

The very entertain Aunty Val wishing Grandpa Happy Birthday!

Eddie wishing Grandpa

What an honor to have you celebrating your 80th Birthday!

Megs speeching for Grandpa

Aunty Lorna and Khloe

Logan and Keaton = BFF'S

our gorgeous Bafana boys enjoying the balloons

Deqlan had a great time enjoying saying hi to everyone

Conrad and Khloe

everyone enjoying the delicous lunch and reunion

Grandpa recieving the beautiful frame from Aunty Val

Aunty Jenni and Khloe

Uncle Ken toasting Grandpa

Dan, Eddie and Ken

Uncle Bill and Aunty Val

Mom also made a beautiful speach

Nan and Grandpa watching the slide show we created of 80 years of memories!

Megs and Aunty Shirl

Henriette meeting Khloe

Aunty Val, Khloe and Logan

All the cousins together after many many years

Me and my amazing Grandpa

denise, Grandpa and Jeran

Aunty Val was a huge hit with the kids!

Nan enjoying Khloe

Mark and Mom! Instead of saying cheese, he said Germany!!! i say SPAIN!!

DELICOUS FOOD!

Kids had a great time together

Thank you notes Mom made!

the beautiful decor

Mom had this beautiful bat engraved and everyone signed as Grandpa's momento

Happy Birthday Darling Grandpa, we love you so much!