From 10° to 80°

Tell me please, HOW is that possible? This week we went from 10° on Monday morning to 80° by Friday afternoon! When I think about that, it reminds me of that all of creation reveals His majesty.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

On Monday, the kids had a snow day. It was COLD! The kids didn't even want to go play in the snow because our house was so cold, they wouldn't have been able to warm up. So they just snuggled up to a movie under a pile of blankets. We decided to have our oil tank refilled. As soon as the oil kicked on, they took Candy Land in the bathroom since it is the smallest room, it heats up very quickly.

We woke up Saturday morning to beautiful weather and everyone was up and outside by 8:30 am. Angel and Caleb went to clean my car out while Alisia and I made breakfast. It was so beautiful!!

Later that day, we decided to go up to the golf corse to enjoy some outdoors! This was my first attempt to hit a golf ball! It was scarey, but fun! I was super impressed at my first hit, so was Angel! But as time went on, I just got worse!

Some of the action:

We weren't the only ones enjoying this weather:

These two are not like this all the time, but when they are, I LOVE IT!

We found some snow melting away from earlier in the week:

Any bright ideas?

We threw them at Papi!

Favorite shot of the day:

We also hung out with some kids from church and climbed their tree house!

Getting up to the tree house:

Hanging out:

Getting down safely:

Thanking God for a time of rest and renewal. He knew that we needed a day of rest. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."

Gen 2:2

Any Suggestions?

We've been debating boy names since before we found out we were pregnant! We already agreed on a girls name (isn't that how it goes!), but are having a harder time with a boy name. We've pretty much got it down to a few, but are still throwing around other names and see what we come up with. We've only got 17 weeks to go!

So--I'm opening it up for suggestions! Just curious. The catch is it has to not change much in Spanish and English. So no Jorge/George Pedro/Peter Pablo/Paul.....you get the point. Alisia is not AleSHa in English, everyone calls her Alisia, the Spanish pronunciation. Same with Caleb, but the accent is a bit different in Spanish. Also no off the wall names that are impossible to pronounce in the other language ...Spanish has a ton of those. Geesh, choosing a name is hard enough when you only have one language!

Regardless of what name we choose, I'm so glad God already knows and loves this little one. Psalm 139 has a deeper meaning when I read it now that I'm pregnant. All of our days are in His book before they come to be (v16).

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:13

Kids in the Kitchen

Baby, It's cold outside! What to do?
Do your kids LOVE helping in the kitchen? My kids love breaking eggs, adding ingredients, stirring, mixing, etc. If your kids do too, then these little pizza's are great to make! Thanks to MckMamma's recipe hint, we were set for the evening! They are each in charge of their own personal pizza and adding their own ingredients. They feel such a sense of accomplishment when it is served.

To try this out you will need:
- pita bread
- olive oil
- tomato sauce
- mozarella cheese
- oregano
- parmesan cheese
- toppings (tomato, peperoni, sausage, green peper, onion, pineapple)

Prepare:


Each one responsible for their own personal pizza:

Fun!:

Heat:

Cut:

Serve:

Enjoy! We will definately be having this meal again soon!

The Face of Wisdom

I hadn't seen my grandparents for a few weeks, so we just stopped by spur of the moment to see if they were home for an unplanned visit. As I apologized for not calling or anything before hand, she said "don't apologize Dear, that's what we're here for."

They had just finished eating supper and welcomely invited us in. They asked about the baby, school, work, etc, the usual. The kids went off to play and my grandmother sat down to "talk." Our conversation turned toward what God has been doing in our lives and what He has been teaching us. I shared with her how she has played a large role in what He has been teaching me recently, loving my husband, raising my children, my role, etc. And I thanked her for her faithfulness to God. Her response will be forever engraved in my heart:

"I'm so glad to be an encouragement to you, Dear. But if God has laid it on your heart about making some changes in your life, it is from Him. He only chooses to use us to carry out His plan. Over the years, God has taught me many things, and I have learned to obey what He is saying. But it's not always easy. I only hope that you will listen to what He is saying to you because I am sure that it is through obedience that we can find real joy. But it's not always easy."

I'm so blessed to still have my grandparents in my life. We ended the visit praying for eachother. I am so thankful that I am able to pass the legacy I have from them to my children and grandchildren. I'm grateful for her faithful prayers and she is able to quickly point us back to the cross. What a godly woman who fears the Lord!

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

Proverbs 31:26

I'm In Denial

A certain young lady in our household (who shall remain nameless) got up early this morning to take a shower and get ready for school. She decided she wanted to straighten her (already straight) hair. She's looking beautiful as she always does and keeps going back to the bathroom throughout the morning to do one more touch-up. I say "You look pretty." She just continues doing her business as if I said nothing. At that point I noticed her usually cheerful self was starting to be not-so-upbeat.

As we continue about our morning grabbing lunches and backpacks, she goes to the bathroom one final time and decides to pull her hair back for a completely different look. As we were heading out the door I say "oh a pony-tail...looks good."

The response I get: "UUGGGHH!! I should have never straightened my hair!"

Is this the beginning of the pre-teen years??? The Lord has placed her on my heart today in a new way to pray for her as she is maturing. My prayer for her is that she will hold fast to the hope she has in the Lord and the Love that He has revealed to her at a young age; that she will continue to grow with the desire to share that hope and His love with others.

"For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth."
Psalm 71:5

Pregnancy Update

I really haven't said much about the pregnancy, so I figured it's time for an update. Thank you so much for asking how things are going and I have been feeling! It means so much knowing how many people care! In the first trimester, I had very minimal morning sickness and I'm so thankful that I have really been feeling great up until now. I'm just now starting to have a hard time getting comfortable at night and wake up with leg cramps. Sometimes I wake up Angel with all my tossing and turning. I've really enjoyed being pregnant so far and can feel the baby kick all the time. Angel can feel him too!

Alisia always ask me how the doctor visits go and how I'm feeling. She is faithful at praying for the baby's health and safety. Caleb has really gotten into telling the baby good-night and good-morning, giving him kisses, and trying to feel him kick. Sometimes he just sits beside me on the couch with his hand on my tummy. This baby is going to be so blessed with his older siblings!

We decide to change doctors for this baby. I wasn't unhappy at the practice that delivered my first two, but since I worked here for four years after I had Caleb, I know everyone! I'm so glad we switched and are excited about having a midwife for the first time help with the delivery. Our current doctor's practice is very competitive about keeping up to date with the latest technology.

For the ultrasound, we were so excited to see the baby! We got the kids out of school early and all headed over together. It was a great way for the kids to see that there really is a baby growing inside. Caleb wasn't really sure what was going to happen when I got up on the table. He kept covering his ears and asking, "is it a boy?" I guess that's all he really needed to know.

The ultrasound was even more fun on this awesome huge wide-screen TV mounted up on the wall!


The ultrasound proved this is one active little baby! His legs were moving up and down, then he kicked back to make it clear he is a boy!

In this picture you can see his arms up around his head:

His profile:

Waving:

He put his hand right over his face in this 3D pic:

These two pictures are dark because the room was pretty dark, but here's the ultrasound-tech with the kids explaining to them what she is doing. She even let them pick out their own picture and showed them how to print it. They were excited to have their own picture of their brother to take to school and show their class.

We went to Chick-fil-a afterward for supper and to celebrate. Angel and Caleb were SUPER excited to have another boy join our family! (So are me and Alisia!)

We are so excited to welcome this little guy to our family and can't wait to bring him home! As parents, it is our prayer that God will be glorified in our family and in the life of this little one. We continue to seek Him daily as we are committed to raising the children God has entrusted to our care. Our hope is in the Lord!

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD."
Psalm 31:24

So Blessed

How did I get so lucky to have these two handsome men in my life?


And this lovely lady....


And this precious little one...


Thankyou Lord.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights"
James 1:17

First Love

With Valentine's day being the main topic at our house, I love seeing how the kids look for creative ways to make their friends feel special. They even look for ways to make each other feel special, us, and their grandparents! Alisia is so careful not to leave anyone out. She has been using her snack money to bring home something from school for each of us. As Caleb was getting his Valentine's ready for his class last night, he asked me if he could sneak one into Papi's lunch box for him to find. I love this! They're love is so real. So sincere.

This kind of real and sincere love is what God wants us to experience much more deeply through knowing His love. If you are still looking for God's love, now is the time to give your life to him. If you already know His love, do you remember what it was like when you first repented and asked God to make you a new creature? Do you remember the overwhelming sense of joy and peace he granted you at that time?

The bible warns against forgetting our first love.

"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love."
Revelation 2:4

I don't remember the exact moment because I was only 3 or 4. But I have experienced that renewed love by seeing His word work in my life. I have also been able to experience it by witnessing my children at different times call on Him into their life. After both of them prayed and invited Jesus into their heart, they were eager to tell everyone! I can see their love for the Lord grow stronger with their desire to go and tell others. They want to be sure their friends know Jesus and will be in heaven too! They have a heart to change the world.

That's what it is like when you are in love. Remember? You want everyone to know! If you know His love for you, take delight in it and boldly share it with those around you.

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
Is 61:10

Wow, What a Weekend!

After all that snow, ice and COLD temps last week, we had temps in the 60's this weekend! What CRAZY weather!! Which might be why we had sick kids ALL last week! Both kids missed school the whole week and had fevers and were throwing up. I've never been so ready for a Monday and a new week! But back to the fabulous weekend we had...We saved the homework for after dark and spent as much time as possible outside! It was great!

We went to the park and checked out the frozen pond. Of course it was melting on the edges, but it was still pretty frozen!

Seeing my husband dare to walk on the melting ice, doesn't really bother me....

But then seeing him teaching my son to be a risk taker......




I just don't know ....

But I tried not to freak out

Sunday after church, we had some friends over for games

Then back to the park for some basketball and tether-ball.

Wow, what a beautiful weekend!

I am thankful for beautiful weekends, outdoors, friends and family, and being healthy! Now just praying everyone stays that way!

Coming June 2009