Bright and beautiful TEN!

Tomorrow we'll be celebrating ten years of this amazing girl's life.  The days when I thought she was a timid little girl seem like a distant memory now.  Now I see her differently.  She is bold and courageous.  She knows what she wants and she goes for it.  She is not afraid to try new things.  She often has to be reminded that there are some things that she needs to ask mom about first, you know, before she tries them.  She loves to laugh, she loves life and I love her to bits.  Sweet, spunky girl.

When she sets her heart on something it is pretty hard to budge her.  This can be a strength as well as a weakness.  How often I have encouraged her to put her trust in God, the giver of opportunities and the loving one who sometimes withholds what we want because he knows what we really need.  Yes, as a mom I often teach while learning those lessons at the same time.

I have been noticing that Brienne is a very careful observer of the people around her.  Sometimes this means picking up bad habits and trying them on for size.  It also means seeing what mom and dad think about it. We see it as another opportunity to point her to God.  "Just because someone else does that (or says that) does not mean it is right."  You see, when you've got a choice between wrong, hmmmm...maybe not so bad, and best, shouldn't you always choose best?  Especially when it comes to choosing your words?  God has certainly not left us without wisdom on that matter!

But I have also noticed her doing her best to be friendly.  She thrives on interacting with people.  She often goes with me to the laundromat and she looks out for other kids to talk and giggle with.  One time a little girl her age was there with her mom.  The mom was not interested in being friendly but this little girl was.  Our time there was a mixture of finishing up schoolwork (homework for the girl) and chatting a little.  Shortly before we left I gave Brienne a "Bridge" tract to give to her friend.  She went back to her math and waited for a good moment to give it to her.  After giving it to her, the girl said "Oh, we believe in God.  We used to walk on water."  Brienne was pretty much speechless.  :)  It was fun to talk later about good ways to respond to that...somehow I doubt that one will ever come up again but...you never know.  I pray that the Lord will give her a strong desire to make his truth known to the people he brings into her life.

The next time we went she kept trying to connect with this little girl there and it just wasn't working.  She'd say hello, smile, wave, sit somewhat near her but the girl was oblivious.  I watched Brienne with interest as I crocheted a baby blanket.  She even commented to me how she kept trying to be friendly to the girl but it just wasn't working.  Brienne wasn't being pushy or anything, she was just making herself available.  To me, that is boldness in and of itself.  She doesn't seem to worry too much about what people think.  I love that about her.  I hope she never lets the fear of rejection stop her from reaching out in love.  

My beautiful daughter.  You are sunshine in my life.

Celebrating and grieving, all in one day

(Note to self: do not buy triple chocolate frosting with chocolate chips again, it does not spread well and your cake may fall apart.  Additional note to self: buy two cans of frosting so that you have enough for the sides of the cake!...why haven't I learned that by now?   Oh well, we enjoyed it anyway!)...

...especially Isabel.

I want to remember this day.  This little girl, turning one, full of cake and smiles.  Me, feeling so blessed to be her mommy.  I think of all the days I have had the joy of delighting in her beautiful smile and all the times lately that she has been copying everything I do.  My laugh, my expressions, my movements...even running my fingers through my hair...she sees me do it and she does it too.  My precious girl, I have so many dreams for her future.

Later in the day, we heard of the tragic news from Newtown, Connecticut...so many children murdered in such a senseless act of violence.  So many families grieving their loss...it's unbearable to think of the grief they bear.  Our family gathered together to pray and we were so very sobered.  Sobered by the awfulness of sin and it's effects.  We had just been lightheartedly celebrating the birth of our daughter as people were suffering from this unthinkable atrocity.  Our laughter had turned to tears when we heard the news.  

In addition to the burden we feel for the families and their tremendous loss, we grieve our own sin.  The times when we have been frustrated, angry and unkind.  It plagues us all.  We probably all think we would NEVER, EVER go that far into selfishness, sin and evil...but how far have we gone from the purity and holiness of God?  Jesus is the only answer, the only one who can redeem us...we need him.  We need more of him in our lives.  We need more of an awareness of how short our time is on this earth and how much more glory we can bring to our God.

Am I wasting time?  Am I distracted?  Is God's kingdom my focus?  Am I dealing with the sin in my life?  I mean REALLY dealing with sin in my life?  Am I exhausting myself more with teaching my children the Word of God or with keeping my house clean?

So many questions now as the stark reality of the unexpected stares me in the face and I seek to be more certain that I am living out my faith to the fullest...

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Return, O LORD!  How long?

Have pity on your servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

and for as many days as we have seen evil.

Let your work be shown to your servants, 

and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, 

and establish the work of our hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:12-17

Celebrating Milestones {writing prompt}

I'm the type of person that MUST write things down if I have any hope of remembering it.  I have my stickies and my memo stations so that I can remember important things I need to do.

This week, I was glad to have another record to help my memory...a little journal I had started in 2003.  It's actually one of Joelle's favorite books.  Probably because most of the memories it contains are about her when she was little.

When I read through it's entries, I realize that if I had not written these things down I would have probably forgotten all about them.  Thinking of Joelle as a little two to three year old girl seems so distant, so long ago.  But when I read these entries...I remember.  Not only the funny things and the precious things but also the things that were so hard at the time, yet now they are a distant memory.

6.24.03

~Joelle is sitting on the stairs with her Gramma this morning.  Whenever she sits down she grunts like an old man.  It's so funny.  She also makes this exasperated sound when she lifts something from the ground--even if it's a lightweight stuffed animal!  Joelle acts as if it's extremely heavy.  I just crack up at this.

~ We're having to tell Joelle "Sssshhhh!" all the time, because she yells whenever she wants to say something.  I tell her "Please don't yell, you're being too loud", and I'm trying to teach her words that she can use instead.  I'm praying for God's wisdom in how to handle her constant yelling, sometimes shrill screaming.

~It's wonderful to see how Amera helps Joelle and teaches her things.  Amera does very well at praising Joelle when she accomplishes something.  Lately Joelle has been determined to go down the stairs while standing, rather than scooting down as usual.  Whenever she gets to the bottom of the steps she claps her hands and cheers for herself, and Amera and I join in and say "Good job, Joelle!"

7.4.03

~Joelle has gotten so good at using her fork, this morning she wants to use her fork to eat everything!  From fruit loops to broken up pieces of toast.  The funny thing is--she's actually doing a great job at it!

~Lately when I put Joelle down for a nap I wave "bye" at the door of her room.  I close the door and she says loudly over and over "Hi!, Hi!, Hi!".  It's her ways of saying "bye".  It's really cute...though I guess it's good that eventually she stops. :)

It's hard to believe we made it past the shrill screams and tumbling down the stairs.  It's hard to believe she will soon be old enough to begin babysitting.  And it's hard to believe that she has gone so far beyond just using her fork at the table...to the point of whipping up special treats in the kitchen!  I don't know exactly when it all happened.  But it did.

Two more special entries to share with you...

7.17.04

~I have started to read through the Bible.  Amera has followed my example and she has been inspired to read from start to finish as well.  This morning she is on the couch reading with such a serious expression on her face.  I think she is in Exodus.  I heard Joelle (2 1/2 years old) opening her Bible bag (with velcro).  I knew she was pulling out her Bible too!  She went and sat next to Amera and opened her Bible.  How precious!  I sat down next to Amera and said "See that?" (motioning to Joelle)..."That's the power of an example". 

~Joelle gets so excited when she hears Amera playing "Jesus loves me" on the piano.  She gets very excited and says "Mommy!, Mommy! 'Stwonn'" (that's the way she says STRONG) and she does this cute little muscle pose.  Then she says "Me! Me! Me!" and points to herself.  It's so precious to hear her little voice saying "...Yeh Jesuh wuh meeeee!" as we sing it together.  It just melts my heart every time.

I praise God that Joelle came to understand just how much Jesus loves her.  I pray it is something she will never forget.

Read more about our birthday girl here: Joelle is eleven today

Linking up for the writing prompt here: http://www.ellenstumbo.com/celebrating-milestones/

Joelle is eleven today

Joelle...

~always has her nose in a book.

~always knows what is on the calendar and looks forward to special dates with excitement.

~loves to bake treats

~loves the sound of chicken sizzling in the skillet, and enjoys cooking.

~cannot get enough of her baby sister and kisses her constantly.

~eats ketchup on her tacos just like her momma (that's one on my side hon!).

~cracks us up when she's not really trying to be funny.

~often wonders why we think things are so funny...she's more the serious type. ;)

She often laughs at her little brother though.  

 I took the above shot after Manny ran right between us pushing a wheel barrow.  

Crazy kid!

Joelle, you are growing up to be quite the young lady.  

We love you and thank God for you!

Ordinary challenges and choices, even on my birthday

[Joelle and Izzy hangin' out with me 
while I got ready for church]

So here it is.  Monday morning.  I am officially 36 years old today.  How can that be?!
My husband just left for his Bible study with plans to go in to work early and take me out to dinner.  I'm looking forward to special time with my man.  I feel like we have so much to talk about lately. :)

Joelle who never forgets a special day wished me a Happy Birthday as soon as she came into the dining room.  Amera is still doing her morning routine and everyone else is still in bed.

Everywhere I look in this house I see things that need to be done.  It is the aftermath of a busy weekend that consisted of a birthday party for Brienne and a full day at church.  There are dishes from last night, all resulting from our late night efforts to bake for the Bible study this morning.  There are clothes that somehow never got put away, though I seem to recall constantly putting forth effort to stay on top of everything and keep everything tidy.  It seems that something always remains undone.

This morning my thoughts are going back to yesterday.  I am remembering the challenges I experienced.  Like Isabel's crying as she put up so much resistance to taking her nap after the morning service.  Why don't they appreciate their naps more?  She is such an affectionate baby.  She hugs tight, and puts her little mouth on my cheek like she's giving me kisses.  It's so sweet but there just comes a point where sleep must happen, no matter how clingy she is!  She put up quite the fight yesterday.  But it's ok, she finally gave in.  We survived. :)

In addition to that, my children seemed to be pushing the boundaries yesterday.  That usually seems to coincide with someone complimenting me on how well behaved they are.  I love my children and they do know how to listen and abide by the rules, most of the time.  But there is so much correction going on behind the scenes.  Believe me, they are NOT little "angels".  They have sin issues too.  I see many of those daily.  I know all of you moms know exactly what I'm talking about.

I am praying for grace and strength today.  It is my birthday, but really, it will be an ordinary day full of challenges and choices.  I don't want to be a frustrated and overwhelmed mommy.  I want to sort laundry, pay the bills, and homeschool my kids with joy in my heart.  I want to smile and appreciate and hug and love like crazy.  God has been so good to me and I am thankful. Even for the challenges that stretch me and help me learn to depend more on his grace.

A little guy turns three!

A happy family choir, singing Happy Birthday...

A chocolate cake with sprinkles...

and a soft and cuddly birthday present...

= BIG smiles from Manny!

I love the fun and happiness he brings to our home.

Sixteen already?!

   Our oldest daughter Amera has just recently turned sixteen.  Her and I spent one afternoon going to get our ears pierced together.  It was a neat experience.  Mine were being re-pierced, but this was her first time.  It only hurt a little bit, it ended up costing way more than I thought it would (I think my jaw dropped when I heard the total), but it was all worth it!  We have really enjoyed having earrings and my husband continues to comment on how much he likes mine.  (That makes it a good investment doesn't it?)  I'm also glad that Amera and I got to do it together and enjoy a special lunch afterwards.  

   Jav and I also enjoyed taking Amera out to lunch Saturday afternoon.  She loves Italian food so we decided to take her to Carrabbas for a special treat.  Since we got there thirty minutes before they opened we decided to see what Trader Joe's was like.  We had never been there before but I knew that they carry some unique foods.  In fact, I have been hunting for some cinnamon chips for a scone recipe and haven't been able to find them anywhere.  We actually found some cinnamon chip scones in their baked goods section.  Too bad they didn't have any cinnamon chips for sale.  Anybody know where to get those?!

{My husband is getting very used to me whipping out my camera at random moments! 

 I'm glad I did because I really like this picture!}

   I felt like I should take something from this "experience".  Honestly, I will probably not make it a point to go back.  So I brought home a little something I knew the kids would enjoy.  Although I do kind of wonder if I should have gotten the scones!  ;)

   It was an afternoon full of fun and hearty laughs.  We were all in a cheerful mood and enjoying each others company.  

  I have been to this restaurant a couple of times before and I always get the "Chicken Bryan".  I decided to stick with what I know I like really like.  The goat cheese, the sun-dried tomatoes...it's delicious!  Our waiter was very friendly and thought for sure that he knew Javier from somewhere.  Javier gets that a lot.  Our waiter also found it amusing that I was taking pictures of my food.  What can I say?  I guess I really am a blogger at heart!

   Yes, I whip out my camera quite a bit.  I'm really glad that I brought it along on our date with Amera though.  These pictures remind me of our time together.  Times like these cannot always be described in many words, but I will remember them with a happy heart.  

   It's hard to believe that our little girl with the pigtails is so close to being an adult.   How quickly time seems to fly.  I am so thankful for all sixteen years!

A date with a very special 10 year old

Joelle requested lemon cake, it was yummy!

   This year of birthdays has been different.  We established a pattern with our oldest and began inviting friends over to celebrate on the 8th birthday.  Every year before that we would just celebrate as a family and keep it simple.  Now that we have so many birthdays to celebrate in our family, simplicity is definitely key. 

   The challenge we have run into this year is that there are already activities planned on our calendar that conflict with the prospect of having a birthday party.  The thing is, if I am going to stay sane, I prefer not to schedule too much activity into one day.  I've tried it...it doesn't go well.  So thankfully this year Joelle was perfectly fine with having some cake and ice cream with the fam and going on a special birthday date with mom on another day.  We went out together this morning.  It worked out perfectly because we had to take Amera to a friend's house so that she could help them out for a few hours.  While she did that, Joelle and I began our date with a delicious breakfast at Panera.  

   She had actually requested Atlanta Bread because she knows how much Jav and I like it, and she has never been there before.  The thing is, she wanted to pick out a water bottle at Target and I was thinking that Atlanta Bread was by Target.  It actually ended up being a Panera.  I think I was having some sort of "forgetful pregnant moment" (those are legitimate, right?) or something because I have been there before.  It worked out wonderfully though.  Panera was a very fitting substitute.  Joelle picked a seat by the window and commented that she really liked Panera and someday she'd like to work there.  :)  They do have a nice atmosphere. We split a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread and a cinnamon roll.  We also enjoyed sipping our hot cocoa as we chatted about things.

Joelle appreciated the artwork on the walls.

   Our next stop was Target.  It might sound strange, but she decided that she really wanted to get a fancy shmancy water bottle with her birthday money.  Interesting choice right?  Well, before we left the house this morning, Brienne decided that she wanted the same thing.  Hey, that's fine with me kids!  Something useful and it will promote drinking more water!  I'm all for it!

It was love at first sight! And the teal cap perfectly

matches the mug she picked for drinking her hot cocoa or tea.

Brienne asked us to pick one for her so we got the same one in purple.

These girls are getting so PRACTICAL!

   Next on the agenda was a trip to TJ Maxx to pick out a fun cookbook (Joelle thinks it should be called a "bakebook") :)   This book has some fun ideas that she is very excited to try.  We have some serious baking to do in the near future.  Let's see...who's birthday is next?  Oh YES!! Javi's!  On November 10th!  Perfect opportunity.  :)

   It was a lovely morning out together, we even squeezed in a little trip to the library to pick up some books and DVD's.  It's been a quiet afternoon, no school today.  Looking at books, playing Guess Who?, and playing outside in the sunshiney seventy degree weather.  

   I'm so excited about re-doing a scarf I made for Clara last year.  I actually did it incorrectly and I have loved it and not loved it at the same time.  Today, I decided to unravel it and do a better job at it.  These colors are perfect for Clara, I can't wait to see how it turns out.  My laundry can wait a little longer.  This quiet afternoon is too good to pass up.