A Warrior for the Lord

The other night, Caleb was so eager to share this Psalm with my mom. It was like he was the first to find a hidden treasure and wanted to share it!




Praying that God will continue to mold this little heart for Him. And that Caleb will hide this precious treasure of God's word deep in his heart.

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees."
Psalm 119: 11-12

Pregnancy Update

Well, here it is. Finally. What you have been waiting for. A pregnancy update. Let me just warn you before you keep reading. It's gonna be honest. And it might not make sense. It might not flow like my usual posts. It's random thoughts. But if there's anything else you really want to know, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best at giving a better answer.

I'm am so excited to be counting down the weeks until our little one joins our family! Today, we are officially at the 5 week countdown! YAY! Thankfully, however, the time is not here yet. I do not feel ready.

I want to hold him, I can't wait to snuggle with him, and I'm dying to see what he looks like. But I'm not ready.

Wanna know what we "have" ready for the baby? Let me remind you that Alisia is turning 10 this summer and Caleb is turning 6. There's no way we could keep bulky baby stuff stored while we are renting for all these years. We have a pack-n-play. We're just planning to let the baby sleep in our room for now. I think I may have saved a bin of baby clothes after Caleb was born. It might be in storage somewhere in my parents attic. I still have to check. I picked up a few onsies at a yard sale last week. A baby doesn't need much, right? Right? ::sigh::

I'm trusting. Trusting that God knows every need this little one will have. I'm praying. Praying that God will provide.

School's coming to an end. Homework. Studying. Tests. Spring concerts. Plays. Field Trips. I want to enjoy these moments with Caleb and Alisia and not rush through them. I've struggled with not being able to be a part of every moment and every field trip, but am learning to say yes when I can, and let "no" be ok sometimes. I'm learning not to promise things I can't do.

I'm learning. Learning what it means to entrust my kids to Him. And praying that God will mold my heart to His will.

Work is on-going. Meetings. Home visits. Training. Documentation. Trying to squeeze everything in before maternity leave. Praying for strength. Leaning on the ever-lasting arms.

Tired. By the end of the day, I'm too tired to tackle my "to-do" list and it just keeps getting longer and longer. Praying for peace. Trouble sleeping. Short fused. Praying for patience. Trying to depend on Him in my weakness and begin every day in prayer.

Oh, have I mentioned we're in the process of buying our first house?

Yeah. That too. Praying for wisdom. Praying for His will. Praying that He will guide us and he will close the doors if it is not his will. We're actually buying my parents house, the house I grew up in. We close at the end of the month. We have to wait until they move out before we can move in. Praying that the house will be used for his glory. He is providing it to us. We want it to be used for him. All of it. Every day.

Trying to pack. Yeah right. More like thinking about packing.

Finances. Praying. Trusting God.

Making plans and arrangements for our summer missions trip. Praying.

Trying to keep our calendar organized and updated so I don't forget things or overbook. Trying to keep some time open for family. And time for my husband. Just us.

Back to the still nameless baby. Oh yeah, he's still nameless. I'm not ready.

Praying for health. Thankfully I've been feeling well health wise. God has really blessed me through-out this pregnancy with no complications. Thankyou, Lord. There's something so comforting knowing that the little one inside is still part of our family now, and I don't have to worry about what will happen with all the rest.

Learning. Trusting. Leaning. Praying. Clinging to the cross. Clinging to what I know to be true and steady. God. Unchanging. My Provider. My All.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:8

When Life Gives You Lemons....

....make Lemonade!

YUM, YUM! Summer, here we come!

Thankyou Grammy for this fun time!

Mother's Day Moments

In my "day job" I interview first time mothers about their thoughts and ideas on parenthood. Essentially this is to see if they are eligible for services offered by our program. I love hearing their story and seeing them reflect on their own childhood experiences. The other day, when I was interviewing an expecting first-time mother, this is what she said to me reflecting on her past. "Parenting doesn't come with a manual, and I know I'm going to make mistakes. But I hope to be the best parent for my child."

I sat there quietly and reflected on that comment as she continued talking. We all want to do the best for our children. Her past was heartbreaking. Her future was filled with questions. Yet she had hope. This life that she was carrying gave her a new reason for tomorrow. She wanted her child's life to be different. The new hope she had with the life she was carrying reminded me so much of myself.

The first time I was pregnant, I remember the high hopes I had amidst the many questions about the future. As the baby grew inside me, with each movement of life I felt, I was reminded of God who is the Creator of life. Words fail me in describing the blessing of having that feeling again. But this time is different. I have learned that parenting is the hardest job in the world. But I do have that manual that is not only for parenting, but every aspect of life, God's Word. I have all that I need. Entrusting my children to God gives me peace in knowing that He is ultimately the one who takes care of them and protects them.

I am thankful for the many times and lessons God uses my children to teach me. To teach me in my weakness about dependance. Using them to teach me about forgiveness, genorosity, faithfulness, and being thankful. Teaching me how to have a true heart of praise. To show me His love. And to teach me how to be a living testimoney of His love. This mother's day I was able to reflect on the life-time job of being a mother. Giving praise to his name for the hope I have in the one who is the Creator of Life.

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more."

Psalm 71:14

The Way God Made Me

Angel was so proud of Caleb when he brought home this picture from school the other day. I was curious to see what his answer would be and asked him why his person was so colorful? He said "Cause that's the way God made me!"



"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made"
Psalm 139:14

Tutt, Tut. It looks like rain...

...all week!!! At least it is in the forecast for the next 7 days!
Oh, bother!



Yes, I am thankful for the rain. Everything is so green and beautiful. It just rained so much the month of April, I was looking forward to "May flowers" and sunny days.
I hope we can all stay dry!

Don't try this at home....

...unless of course you have proper supervision!!

And This is Love

My sweet mom truly has a heart for others. Since I was a child, I've only seen her love for others grow stronger as she grew in her relationship with the Lord. Sometimes I would even be upset at the amount she put other's first, even when they don't deserve it. She goes out of her way when given an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with others in her life, even when it's not convenient. And never asks "What am I going to get out of it?"

I've seen God bless her through her willingness to give and reach out. As she is faithful and obedient in her calling to share the love of Jesus, a few times she has had the opportunity to see how others also learn to reach out because she has reached out to them. A few times she has seen the joy her love has brought. A few times she has even got a "thank you." But many times these blessings go unseen, only known by God exactly how her love has blessed others. Only He truely knows what happened all those times she takes to share His love, those extra minutes she spends praying for their needs, the extra time she spends listening, those extra meals she has provided, rides given, bible lessons prepared and taught, stories shared, and lives changed. And I am confident that her reward will be great in heaven.

What an amazing picture of the gospel. We don't deserve in any way the grace God has given us, yet out of love and mercy, He sent His son to die for our sins. It is so easy to be nice when you know what your getting in return. It's so easy to love when you know the other person won't turn their back on you. It's so easy to give when it's convenient. The hard part is when we are called to love when it is hard and inconvenient, regardless of how other people respond. The fact is, we are called to love. No if's and's or but's. We are called to share God's love with others so that they may see His love in us.



I can see God developing this type of love in Alisia's heart. She often thinks of ways to bless others without being asked. She will leave me notes throughout the house simply to brighten my day. Her long bedtime prayers shows me how sensitive she is to other's needs. On the way to school this week, she asked me if I had any prayer requests she could share with her class. As a small child she would often make friends with the one person playing alone. I can't wait to see what God's going to do with her life and what he is preparing her for!

These conjoined twins are from Mexico around Alisia's age. They have been in this country for medical treatment since they were small. They were in the area visiting with someone from my mom's church. My mom and Alisia were invited over to love on their family. And that's just what they did. Love.

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

2 John 1:6

Like Father Like Son

So thankful that Sunday is a day of rest!

Spring Break: Educational Fun

We also planned some educational fun over spring break. We had been wanting to do special things with the kids and have some fun as a family, and we thought it would be a good idea for them to learn new things on their break from school. This was our first time visiting the Frontier Culture Museum.

As you walk around the land, the museum has reproductions of farms and tells the story of early immigrants and their American descendts.

You could tour inside each farm or house to see how life was back then


At this farm we got to see baby sheep!


They were only 1 day old!!


All this farm land to run and get out all that energy!


The kids were laughing at the "pots" under the beds. Angel said he'd get me one since I usually wake up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom and our bathroom is downstairs!


Peering in the well. My nephew said he forgot his pennies to make a wish...


Then I told him that this was not a "wishing well" but really used to draw water.


Angel claims he could easily survive frontier life. He says it really reminds him of life in Mexico.


Caleb and Eston checking out the weaving wheel.


Clogs:


My sister-in-law sporting some classy wodden clogs:




Grammy and Alisia on this old American farm porch.


What a fun trip.


Did I mention how refreshing family time is?!