Celebrations are the punctuation of life.

Mornings, evenings, weekends, months, and years whiz by like a dizzying run-on sentence. They can feel like they drag on and on. Then suddenly it's over, and you've missed the point.

For me, gathering around meals, birthday cakes, Christmas trees and midnight countdowns create causeways of remembrance. We create intentional spaces to look at each other, look back, give thanks, look ahead, and look around. I'll always do the extra dishes, spend the extra time, and go the extra mile to punctuate a life that sees, remembers, attunes and gives thanks.

I took this picture of Wyatt for the boys in the background.

We've been in an extra-challenging season, learning to new sides of Benjamin's PDA profile of autism. I've been posting brotherly bonds and family adventures as a banner over us. We're still doing the things that matter. We choose these moments to mark us.

If you read our last update, you might have seen that we are fundraising to buy a family van. What you might NOT have seen is my stomach lurching and face twisting when I asked our beloved friends, family, and people of the Internet for help.

We have been sustained as missionaries in South Africa by people's giving for almost thirteen years. THIRTEEN YEARS...

I turned 38 yesterday and had a very sweet birthday with my four favorite guys!

I've officially entered the stage of life where it takes effort to remember my age, magnifying makeup mirrors are a no-go, and my metabolism gets a good laugh when I think about losing extra "baby weight". Watching all my hair fall out from postpartum hormones really just seals the deal. 👌

We had a baby! And we officially miss you.

It's high time for a Ladd family update. Let’s jump right to the highlight reel, shall we?

It's exactly nine weeks until our little boy's due date - April 10, 2022. My prediction is that he will come a week late, just like his brother, and I'll go into labor on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday. I told Chris to get a backup plan ready for church!

His name is…

We dropped our 2-year olds at school, paused responsibilities, and met at a cafe to celebrate our "South African birthdays". Melanie and I are both American missionaries who came to South Africa solo in January 2010, never expecting to start families and build lives here. We became fast friends when we met a few years ago, both trying to figure out how to care for our newborns a hemisphere away from our home churches and families. Our sons ADORE each other, and it's a precious gift to find a friend that understands both my home culture and the beautiful tension of cross-cultural families.

It's my South African birthday! 🥳 I landed in South Africa for the first time on 14 January 2010... 12 years ago!

After five years of single-parenting, God gave me an incredible husband. Since we've moved from America, we've lost all of our grandparents without goodbyes. We've missed a generation of weddings, babies, and milestones - as well as pizza nights and Saturdays with our parents, siblings and cousins. We fused together a family in strange and lonely circumstances, and have since been impacted by mass injustice, corruption, brokenness and oppression.

I have polished off two watermelons since Friday. It has been HOT in Cape Town. Saturday was a real scorcher. Unfortunately for my family, there is a force within me telling me to nest that is just as strong as the watermelon-consuming force. Instead of taking it easy in the heat, I did 4 loads of laundry and started deep-cleaning.

I hit my boiling point that afternoon and took the kids to the beach for respite - both from my nesting and the pulsing heat of our house. The other 4 million residents of Cape Town had the same idea and were packed like sardines along the coastline, streets and grassy banks.

Who’s making resolutions? Maybe it’s carrying this new little Ladd or dreaming of seeing my mom for the first time in 6+ years when he arrives, but I’m bringing in the new year with some old fashioned nostalgia. Typically, there’s nothing I love more than sitting down with a fresh pack of colorful pens and a goal-setting guide. I dream, plan and pray.
This year, I woke up early to worship, read the Word and call my mom. I made my NaNa’s traditional southern New Year’s Day meal, and I’m just sticking with the important things in 2022. What about you? What’s your 2022 looking like?

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration! It was the first time Chris or I have EVER been to church on Christmas Day - and we’re the pastors now! In America, we grew up attending Christmas Eve services and staying home on Christmas morning for a special family celebration - opening presents at the crack of dawn in your pjs, breakfast afterward, and then playing the day away at home.

We had to re-imagine Christmas for our family this year as we had the honor of hosting our first Christmas morning service as lead pastors at Southpoint Church!

The festive season is upon us! For some, it stirs up awe and wonder. For others, it's a fresh wave of grief or painful memories. No matter what, this time of year can get extra full. Calendars, expectations and to-do lists are filling at rapid speed.

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday. I will be teaching a Bible study on gratitude this morning and trying not to dream of pumpkin pie while I do it. We will have a Thanksgiving celebration of our own on Saturday, and I can't wait!

It's earlier than "they" say we should share the news. But this is what we do. We share life as it happens, and we go through the lows and highs together. We use this space to stay connected to friends and family all over the world, and we want to share the news!

I’'ve always loved tables and what happens at them. There's nothing better than spreading out a beautiful table cloth and sharing a meal with loved ones.
While my husband and I were having the conversation that led us to building God's Church, I saw a picture in my mind of a white flag flying. Black, bold letters spelled out "The Table" on the flag. Over a year later, I got another picture when we visited Cape Town…

I finally feel like myself again after spending a few weeks under the weather. It feels incredible! When I finally started to come out of the haze, I remembered I had let go of a precious habit. I have prayed with at least one friend every week for years…

In an extreme time, you’ve gotta pull out extreme silliness too. We didn’t plan it, but sometimes a level 4 lockdown just brings it out of you! We were all thankful for a good laugh this week when I bought Lifa a sandwich the size of his little brother, and Chris bet him good money to finish it by the end of the night. The highlight reel is on my Instagram profile, and I assure you it’s worth the watch. But here’s something to whet your appetite.

Chris Ladd is the man of my dreams, BUT he's got a few things to learn about life. Ok, its' just one thing: BIRTHDAYS.

I love to celebrate and have infused that love into my children. Lifa is an absolute boss at celebration, and one of Benjamin's first words was "Hooray!" (Future daughters-in-law, you are welcome.)

Church was amazing this Sunday! We expected a quiet morning as rumors of a third wave of COVID rippled through the nation. I took my place next to Chris on the front row ten minutes after the service started. Several new families had poured in the door at the last minute, and I was helping them get their kids checked in. Chris leaned in to me when I joined him and asked, "Is it empty in here?" I whispered that I couldn't see any open seats.

We had a beautiful, wintery afternoon tea for moms at our church last week. A group of super-dads (and Lifa!) took on childcare of over 15 kids while 32 moms laughed, cried, played, indulged and prayed over each other. It was life-giving and absolutely gorgeous. I am blown away that God has built a team of strong, powerful women who love the Lord around me. They are my team any my closest friends. I am overwhelmed with gratitude!