As you can see from my previous post, my life has been a little crazy. But on Sunday my parents celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary. Yes, 35 years can you believe it!
I don't know why I thought that I would be spared from the "monster" they call the "Terrible Twos." Luka was always such a good baby. Almost always did what he was told except for the occasional incident...but that Luka is gone and "Luka the Terrible" has been born. 
No, I am not in Morocco. Luka and I made it safe and sound to Maputo. We are very happy to be home, but the homecoming was bittersweet since JJ was called to Morocco to help out with the embassy there for a couple of weeks. So we haven't seen him since January 7th, but he will be home soon.. For now I will share with you the rainbow he sent me from Fes, Morocco (city he visited this weekend).
We were there! It was amazing. Next to my wedding day and the day we brought Luka home...it will be one of the most amazing experiences in my life and my sister was the perfect person to share it with. From the concert on The Mall and exploring DC with the kids and ending with the Inauguration...it has been the trip of a lifetime. We were there when history was made!
We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you like this collage of photos from events this past year, as well as some photos of Maputo. I am sure they are easy to spot. 
We hope you can make it to Opening Night @ 8 pm in Maputo's very unique Nucleo do Arte. You can read more about the venue by clicking here.
And I thought I was going to miss out on Election Night excitement because I was all the way in Mozambique...I was in luck. Obama and Uncle Sam stopped by the Election Party sponsored by the US Embassy. McCain was also there, but he didn't like my shirt so he opted not to take the photo with us.
Mark your calendars and remember this day! Don't forget what you were doing at this moment. It is such an important day in the history of our country. Just think...40 years from now when people are talking about this day you will want to remember what you were doing on the day Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America.
I think Luka might win a Grammy or a Tony award some day. Our son is very musical. JJ and I have never played any musical instruments or actually have any musical talent, but JJ does love music. His one trillion songs on his iTunes is proof of that. And although I am not blessed with any real musical abilities, I have been singing to Luka since the first day he was home. My repertoire consists of church songs (in Spanish), some country songs, the complete soundtrack from RENT and The Little Mermaid and when I am absolutely in need of it....Barney. I never said I was cool, but I can belt out a mean lullaby.
Mom, this one is for you. For months (since August when we moved in) my mom has been asking me to post photos of our new home. I kept waiting for the house to be all picked-up, pictures hung, boxes put away...but the more I waited, the more I realized that this would never happen. So here it is...our house on a Sunday...with mess and all. To take the complete photo tour and get a sneak peek into our crazy life click here.
If you have visited this blog before you know that Luka sometimes receives letters from his cousin - Maxwell. The letter below actually arrived before we left on holiday a couple of weeks ago, but between getting ready for the trip, finishing projects at work and running around after Luka I never got around to posting the letter. Now that things are back to "normal" and I found a few minutes to dedicate to the blog I thought I would add this letter. Max's letters are ALWAYS very entertaining and Luka really likes them. Here it goes:
Happy 55th Birthday. Luka and I were very happy to spend this special day with you. We love you!!
At 10 months Luka started saying pa and the occasional ma...but never twice in a row and never in the context of calling either JJ or myself. But recently during our holidays in Holland Luka started saying Papa loud and clear and there I was left broken hearted as the syllable "ma" has seemed to disappear from his vocabulary. People tell me that the "m" sound is much harder for a baby to pronounce than the "p" sound...but so what...you still want to hear them say "mama." For now JJ will be the PROUD Papa and I will be the very proud (but a little jealous) ba, which is what Luka likes to call me.
Here is the video of the moment Luka first entertained us with his "papa" speaking ability...you can also hear him meow like a cat and throw some delicious kisses. Enjoy.
Luka was baptized in Miami on February 24th (oops still haven't uploaded those photos), but none of his Dutch relatives were able to attend the ceremony. In celebration of his baptism and to welcome him into the family he was honored with a "blessing." His Uncle Henk, who is a member of the local Catholic Church arranged the entire thing. It was perfect! The family gathered at the church in the village (yes, it was really a village) and we sang, prayed and celebrated Luka! Most of the ceremony was in Dutch, but it didn't matter...you could really feel how special it was. Marielle, his other godmother, said a few words and both sets of Dutch grandparents read out their wish for Luka. JJ and I were also asked to say something....we prayed the Our Father in English and then the family sang a beautiful canon. Did I mention that JJ's family sing like the Von Trapp Family...except they are the van Herksens! The theme for the day was the start of his new life with us and as a Christian. The funny coincidence for the day was that final song...if you translate it...it roughly translates to the same song I sing to Luka every night before he goes to sleep. Above you can see some of the moments from the day, but for the rest of the photos visit our photo album.
Okay, so when I think family portraits I think sitting in Sears or Zayres (do you remember that store!!!!) infront of some funny backdrop. At least those are the portraits I remember taking growing up and I wasn't really fond of them. Now that I have my own family I was in search of the perfect photographer to take modern family portraits. Sounds easy, right....yes, if we were back in Miami or Holland. But in Maputo it was a bit challenging and then I met Solange - a mom at the school I work at....I got really lucky. She just opened a photo studio in Maputo. She is great and really captured what JJ and I were looking for. So here they are....our first family portraits. I hope Luka likes them when he is older. But who knows...by then the wacky background and posed shots might be back in style. Click here to see all the photos from our "shoot." Enjoy!
So our family is kind of quirky and we celebrate things like the anniversary of my parent's first kiss. Yesterday my parents celebrated the 36th Anniversary of their first kiss and if you average it out...that means that my parents have kissed close to 26,280 times. Probably TMI (too much information) for most people, but I am in the mood to share today.
Can you guess who's mouth that is? If you guessed Luka then you are right. His teeth just appeared out of nowhere. Now let's see if he will actually start chewing. He hates to put anything solid in his mouth. I have tried everything. I think we just have to go at his pace. But aren't those the cutest crooked teeth you have ever seen. I know he is adopted, but I think he might have inherited mommy's gap! Enjoy.
Dear Cousin:2. LOOK UP WHEN YOU STAND. Many times I have tried to stand up under a table or a chair and hit my head badly. I know you have a bigger head than mine, but be careful just in case. LOOK UP and try to measure if there is enough space for you and your big head standing up. And remember to do it slowly.
3. LOOSE SOME WEIGHT. I know everybody is saying you are strong and beautiful, but cousin you are fat. Try to loose some weight. Fat people have more difficulty walking. I see this everyday with grandpa and grandma, they are nice and all, but I run faster than them any day! Try to enroll at the local Mozambican Baby Weight Watchers or any other group like that.
I hope you learn from my experiences and my mistakes. See you soon…hopefully in July and then we will see who can run faster at that point.
Love,
Maxwell
I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there....especially my mom. This year is a very special Mother's Day for me. As most of you know it is the first time I will get to celebrate this holiday as a mother. I can't tell you how much I love being a mom. It is unlike anything I could have ever dreamed of. I know that everyone says that but it is true.
Okay, it is official...the van Herksen family is now running on Mac. Here we are the three of us playing around with our new super computer and its camera. I am still trying to figure everything out, but I think I am really going to like it. I just have to get over having to learn a whole new system. I think Luka likes the iMac too....look at him smiling!
Today marks 5 months since Luka became part of our family. Time has gone by so fast and he has grown so much! These photos show you the progress he made over the last couple of months. The change is amazing. He went from 3.5 kg to 10.5 kg in weight and he grew over 10 cm!
Today we cut Luka's hair for the first time...well, shaved it is more like it. Luka's hair was not growing evenly. He had a big bald spot on the back of his head and we were told that if we shaved his head it would grow back nicer and evenly. Luka didn't cry at all. Everyone at the salon was amazed that he didn't even make a sound. But as you can see he had a very serious expression throughout the process. I think he was a little sad, but in the end he likes his bald head now and kept rubbing it right after they were done. I kind of miss his hair, but the good news is that it will grow back. He looks good either way!
Today we went back to Primero de Mayo (orphanage where Luka is from) to celebrate his 1st Birthday. The kids really had a great time, but I think Luka was a little upset that almost none of the kids recognized him. Nobody could believe how big he was! There are about 60 kids at the orphanage and they are all so beautiful, but they need so much love, attention and good nutrition and unfortunately the resources just aren't there. Now I look at them and think how much they could grow and flourish if the found a loving family. Luka is a completely different little boy than what he was 4 months ago. While we were there we met three families that are adopting and it was good for them to see Luka and talk to us about our experience. I hope you enjoy the photos from today. Click here to see them.
This video was taken last week. Luka really likes to stand up in his playpen...although it only last a little while before he goes into a complete straddle...he sure has fun doing it.
We will be heading to Miami on Thursday..llook how excited Luka was when we told him the news. The three of us can't wait to get there and see everyone. This trip home will be extra special with Luka. I think Luka's cousin - Maxwell - is getting really excited with his arrival. Grandpa recently sent us another letter Maxwell had written for Luka...enjoy.
Dear Luka,
Yesterday Luka turned 10 months. It has been 2 months since his arrival...where does the time go? We spent his 10-month birthday going to the park, a bbq and seeing friends. He loves to spend time with other kids and is really social. He will strike up a conversation with almost anybody...sounds like somebody I know....hmmm.
I don't know if it is funny or absolutely adorable. What do you think? Doesn't he look like a little man. Enjoy!
Luka learns to sit up on his own:
I will work on uploading all of our photos today. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
It has been three weeks since Luka's arrival and he is growing like weed. Yesterday we had a doctor's appointment and he weighed 5.22 kg (up from 3.6 kg). That means he is weighing 11.5 lbs! What an improvement from 8 pounds and you can definitely tell in the pictures from our album. I swear I have never been so happy about seeing a double-chin and cellulite in my life! He also grew from 55 cm to 57 cm. That is a good growth spurt for a month and it was only three weeks. Even the doctor was impressed when he sat up on his own and started grabbing things from her hand...something he wasn't even attempting on his first visit.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the three of us in Maputo, Mozambique! This has turned out to be a very good year for our family and we have many things to be thankful for.
It has been a week since we became a family. Luka is a completely different baby than when he arrived home just 7 days ago. Just in that time he has learned how to grab things with his hands, he puts them in his mouth, he grabs his bottle, holds his head up when he is on his tummy and has discovered his feet. These are just some of the many things he couldn't do last Friday. It is amazing what love, attention and good nutrition will accomplish.Okay, so our journey to parenthood has been a bit of a whirlwind. We became parents on Friday and we are still in a bit of daze. But we wanted to share pictures of our little guy with the world. As soon as I get my bearings I will tell you the entire story of how we met our son - Luka Dario Tinhiko van Herksen. Dario was his name in the orphanage and Tinhiko means "gift" in the local language here in Maputo. He is 8 months...a tiny little guy for 8 months, but watch his grow after a couple months of love, attention and lots of FOOD!
Check back later for more info on our son...we need to take a nap now. I know they told us we would get less sleep, but no one said anything about NO sleep.
For now you can see more pictures here.
Most of you know that photography is a hobby of mine, well now I can share my "hobby" with all of you. A couple of weeks ago I told you that I was part of a group of individuals that had formed a photography club - Kupfula Photography. Well, after a little organization we have created a website to share with the world. Be sure to visit www.kupfula.com and let us know what you think. Our remaining exhibition photos are online for viewing and they are also for SALE. The money collected from these prints will go to charity organizations here in Maputo. At our recent exhibition we raised over $2,000 USD for a local orphange. I hope you enjoy the photos and welcome any comments.
