On December 11, 2008 at around 3AM, we rushed to the hospital because I was experiencing painful contractions. We had three ultrasounds and found that our precious baby girl had died. It was more than I could bear. We are not sure when, but sometime within the last few days, her heart had stopped. It was too much for me to handle.
Before she was delivered, we named her Lael - "belonging to God."
I delivered her some time on the 11th and got to hold her and pray over her and thank my God for the short time I had her. I thanked Him for having her in perfect love in heaven and praised Him in anticipation of the day I will see her in glory. I have such peace that she is with Jesus experiencing life like I have never experienced before.
I started hemorrhaging. They found I had placenta previa acreta, the placenta was growing into my cesarean scar. My uterus was trying to get rid of the placenta, but couldn't, so I kept bleeding. I was taken to the operating room and lost around half my blood. I was given three blood transfusions during the operation (D&C) and two transfusions afterward. I was told that I almost died. I woke up not knowing this but saw the look on MyLove's face. He had tirelessly prayed that the Lord would bring me back to him. My dear sister and dear uncle and dear brother-in-law all prayed there with him.
My sorrow has been for my precious Lael. My poor Love's sorrow has been for Lael and his wife. We rejoice at how the Lord took care of me and give Him glory for the limited time I got to experience Lael in my belly. I am not bitter. I am very sad and broken-hearted. I miss her.
A dear nurse of mine, Paige, who cradled Lael in a blanket and gave her to me to hold, has had two miscarriages of her own. Her hope is also in Jesus, and we talked and had a bond that was so precious. I was given a tiny burial gown and a knitted blanket for Lael made by sweet women who share this sorrow. A 98-year-old woman made the blanket and said that all mothers who have lost their baby are knitted together in a way that only we can understand. I have heard this before and have prayed and prayed that the Lord would spare me from such an experience. And lo, the Lord had different plans. So, here I am. Knitted together with a precious group of women who have had such deep sorrow and pain and have love for their little babes until their dying day. How we long to give that love to our precious little ones.
Tomorrow we will have a small burial service for Lael. I am nervous but long to honor her and my God who created her.
Martini asks lots of questions and comments how it is not fair that she is in heaven with Jesus and he can't be there with her. He says how much he wants to see her and tries to figure out ways that we can allow him to hold her. Out of no where, he will come and hug me and tell me he is sad for Lael. He loves to talk about her. He is such a good boy.
Ethan asked about her the other day. He wanted to know whose baba's they were since Lael couldn't breastfeed. He asked if I would breastfeed her in heaven. I told him no because she wouldn't be a baby anymore and that my baba's were not anyone's now. It was another sad realization for me.
Carmelita will point to my belly and say "baby?" and we tell her that "baby" isn't there anymore and that she is my baby still.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers, support, phonecalls, emails, and just for all of your love. Thank you for making us meals and sending us flowers and cards. We are encouraged by your love and continue to covet your prayers.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Status: Currently Being Knitted :-)
"For you created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."
-Psalm 139:13,14
Yesterday, we made a trip to the doctor and walked away with sobering but great news. We saw our little daughter on the ultrasound and she is beautiful. I am 19 weeks along today.
Everything looks healthy: cervix, amniotic fluid, brain developement, growth, blood count levels. Praise the Lord! He so faithfully continues "knitting" our little daughter in my womb.
The night before I was in despair. The future looked quite ominous to me. I was trying to figure everything out and couldn't! Would you believe that?! The future just can't be figured out!
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
-Matthew 6:34
I am still bleeding and show no signs of stopping. My doctor has informed me that unless the Lord moves the placenta (because there is no other way) I will be admitted to the hospital around 24 weeks. This news is such heartbreaking, despairing news for me and the night before I couldn't handle it. MyLove and I prayed for a long time and the Lord has given me such peace. If we can keep our little bun in the oven until she is about 34 to 36 weeks along, it will all be worth it.
My dear mom was here for my bedrest from Sunday night to Wed. evening and my dear sister got here Wed. night and will be here 'til Fri. evening. They are planning on being here on all weekdays as long as needed. It is such a humbling experience that makes me feel so indebted to them and yet I know they expect nothing in return. They do this out of pure love, concern and support. I love them so much. Also, some dear friends from our church, our LNO (Ladies Night Out) group is providing meals for Saturdays and Sundays until mid-January. Ahhhhhhhh, the church, what an incredible blessing they all are.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."
-Psalm 139:13,14
Yesterday, we made a trip to the doctor and walked away with sobering but great news. We saw our little daughter on the ultrasound and she is beautiful. I am 19 weeks along today.
Everything looks healthy: cervix, amniotic fluid, brain developement, growth, blood count levels. Praise the Lord! He so faithfully continues "knitting" our little daughter in my womb.
The night before I was in despair. The future looked quite ominous to me. I was trying to figure everything out and couldn't! Would you believe that?! The future just can't be figured out!
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
-Matthew 6:34
I am still bleeding and show no signs of stopping. My doctor has informed me that unless the Lord moves the placenta (because there is no other way) I will be admitted to the hospital around 24 weeks. This news is such heartbreaking, despairing news for me and the night before I couldn't handle it. MyLove and I prayed for a long time and the Lord has given me such peace. If we can keep our little bun in the oven until she is about 34 to 36 weeks along, it will all be worth it.
My dear mom was here for my bedrest from Sunday night to Wed. evening and my dear sister got here Wed. night and will be here 'til Fri. evening. They are planning on being here on all weekdays as long as needed. It is such a humbling experience that makes me feel so indebted to them and yet I know they expect nothing in return. They do this out of pure love, concern and support. I love them so much. Also, some dear friends from our church, our LNO (Ladies Night Out) group is providing meals for Saturdays and Sundays until mid-January. Ahhhhhhhh, the church, what an incredible blessing they all are.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving '08!
There are so many things to be thankful for. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time sitting down or laying down due to the bleeding that's occured during my pregnancy. We recently found out that I have placenta previa. The diagnoses is not yet official since I am only 18 weeks along, but if things don't change, at 20 weeks is when my doctor says that the diagnoses is official (not sure why).
Anyway, I have had quite some time to ponder the many blessings in my life, and this is prime opportunity to write them down for rememberance.
I am thankful for:
1.) Not being afraid to die, because I know that I am an heir of God's heavenly kingdom. Why? Because I have been forgiven of ALL my sins by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
2.) The salvation of my hubby, Martini and Ethanael.
3.) My incredible husband, who has tirelessly taken care of me and our children. He took off work all of last week to let me rest and to care for us. What a man! and what a sacrifice! He's the beeeest!
4.) My dear Martini, who is doing so much better in school now, who loves his sister and shares with her often, whose best buddy is his brother Ethan, who loves to make people laugh and who loves to talk about what Jesus has made. For Thanksgiving he said that he was thankful for everything that Jesus has made.
5.) My dear Ethan, who is more active than ever, who calls me Mama and asks to be held like my little baby for just a moment then goes back to playing rejuvinated, who loves to run around in his Iron Man costume totally engrossed in his own world of wonder. For Thanksgiving he said that he was thankful for all our food.
6.) My dear Carmelita, who is quite particular with who she shows affection to, but sure does love her family, who enjoys dancing and who will spot a baby a mile away, who feeds herself so well, and who loves to sing The B-I-B-L-E, This Little Light of Mine, and Jesus Loves me with hand motions.
7.) The precious baby girl growing in my belly.
8.) All of our family.
9.) Our health.
10.) Dear friends.
11.) Yummy food, especially when it satisfies a craving right on.
12.) Dependable vehicles.
13.) Dates with my hubby.
14.) Laughing so hard my belly hurts.
15.) A good prayer time.
16.) Restful sleep .
17.) People who are gracious.
18.) Electricity.
19.) Running water and tap water you can drink. No matter how bad you think your water is unfiltered, it is nothing like overseas!
2o.) And so much more!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Anyway, I have had quite some time to ponder the many blessings in my life, and this is prime opportunity to write them down for rememberance.
I am thankful for:
1.) Not being afraid to die, because I know that I am an heir of God's heavenly kingdom. Why? Because I have been forgiven of ALL my sins by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
2.) The salvation of my hubby, Martini and Ethanael.
3.) My incredible husband, who has tirelessly taken care of me and our children. He took off work all of last week to let me rest and to care for us. What a man! and what a sacrifice! He's the beeeest!
4.) My dear Martini, who is doing so much better in school now, who loves his sister and shares with her often, whose best buddy is his brother Ethan, who loves to make people laugh and who loves to talk about what Jesus has made. For Thanksgiving he said that he was thankful for everything that Jesus has made.
5.) My dear Ethan, who is more active than ever, who calls me Mama and asks to be held like my little baby for just a moment then goes back to playing rejuvinated, who loves to run around in his Iron Man costume totally engrossed in his own world of wonder. For Thanksgiving he said that he was thankful for all our food.
6.) My dear Carmelita, who is quite particular with who she shows affection to, but sure does love her family, who enjoys dancing and who will spot a baby a mile away, who feeds herself so well, and who loves to sing The B-I-B-L-E, This Little Light of Mine, and Jesus Loves me with hand motions.
7.) The precious baby girl growing in my belly.
8.) All of our family.
9.) Our health.
10.) Dear friends.
11.) Yummy food, especially when it satisfies a craving right on.
12.) Dependable vehicles.
13.) Dates with my hubby.
14.) Laughing so hard my belly hurts.
15.) A good prayer time.
16.) Restful sleep .
17.) People who are gracious.
18.) Electricity.
19.) Running water and tap water you can drink. No matter how bad you think your water is unfiltered, it is nothing like overseas!
2o.) And so much more!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Changes
We have had so many changes lately; they are coming and going like lightning. Here are some notable ones:
1.) I am pregnant, and WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!
2.) Carmelita is being weaned from the breast since four days ago.
3.) No more cloth diapers, as of about four months ago.
4.) Martini wants to marry Genevieve, a classmate of his.
5.) Ethan's Mandarin is incredible, but our classes just got cancelled:-(
6.) My nephew, JonJon is going into the Army in January.
7.) My niece, Roseann, just got married and is due to have her first child about a week before me!
8.) My brother, Jimmy, was almost killed because his VW Beetle blew up! Praise the Lord, he is fine and I want to sue the pants off VW now. Yet, I digress and leave it in the hands of the Lord. Here is a picture of his Bug in the driveway. Apparently, it was an electrical malfunction.
9.) MyLove, Carmelita and I recently took a trip to Oregon (we couldn't afford tickets for the boys). Here are some pictures from the trip. MyLove was in his friend, John Turner's wedding.
Carmelita enjoying the fall leaves.
A family pic. We so wish the boys could have come.
Daddy's girl.
1.) I am pregnant, and WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!
2.) Carmelita is being weaned from the breast since four days ago.
3.) No more cloth diapers, as of about four months ago.
4.) Martini wants to marry Genevieve, a classmate of his.
5.) Ethan's Mandarin is incredible, but our classes just got cancelled:-(
6.) My nephew, JonJon is going into the Army in January.
7.) My niece, Roseann, just got married and is due to have her first child about a week before me!
8.) My brother, Jimmy, was almost killed because his VW Beetle blew up! Praise the Lord, he is fine and I want to sue the pants off VW now. Yet, I digress and leave it in the hands of the Lord. Here is a picture of his Bug in the driveway. Apparently, it was an electrical malfunction.
9.) MyLove, Carmelita and I recently took a trip to Oregon (we couldn't afford tickets for the boys). Here are some pictures from the trip. MyLove was in his friend, John Turner's wedding.
Carmelita enjoying the fall leaves.
A family pic. We so wish the boys could have come.
Daddy's girl.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Martini's in Love!
What a week this has been! MyLove and I have recently found out that our 6 year old son is in love!
On Monday, MyLove picked Martini up from school and Martini told him that a little girl in his class, Genevieve, was saying, "Oh, no. He's following me again." MyLove asked him why she said this and he said, "I just like being around her, Daddy. I want to be where she is." . . . Oh, so innocent!
On Tuesday, I picked Martini up from school and said, "Hello, handsome! How was school today!"
"I got a paper!" he said giddily with a big smile on his face.
"What paper?" I asked.
"I got a paper from Genevieve. She asked me 'Do you love me?' and there were two answers at the bottom. 'Yes' and 'No" He was just giggly and smiling away as he told me. And of course I couldn't hold in my laughter and surprise at what he was telling me.
"What did you do?"
"I circled 'yes' then I circled 'no.' I wanted to cross out 'yes,' but Mrs. Holmes came and took the paper and threw it away." Martini says as he puts his head in his hands and shakes his head, still with a beaming smile.
"Oh, wow! Did Mrs. Holmes talk to you about the paper?"
"No."
So, we were all just giggling away, even Ethan now a little bit.
As I drive away from the school, Martini says, "I do a little."
"You do what?"
"I am in love with her a little!" He says shyly and hits his head with his hands.
When we got home, he said he wanted to give her a paper too and immediate got out some paper and drew her a very elaborate picture. He drew himself with armor and a sword and she was in a dress and there were things all over the paper, including a couple of hearts. On the back, he drew a cross with Jesus and blood and nails in His hands and feet. He was a little embarassed to show Daddy that night, but did so and explained it all. He wanted to give it to her the next morning.
MyLove and I talked about it and I told MyLove that I would leave it up to him. Truthfully, I am at a loss. We have explained to the kids that kissing and holding hands and such affection (as Mommy and Daddy do and as seen on movies sometimes) is done when a man and woman are married. But this? I have no idea how to approach this. I was not at all prepared for this. I started really worrying that night if we were raising him correctly and if this was godly and if we should or shouldn't encourage this. Should we explain in more detail to Martini what love is and that it is for adults to act on? What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!?! MyLove just reassured me and encouraged me to pray for wisdom and to not be so worried. Praise the Lord for my grounded, calm hubby! I so need him. And praise the Lord that He's the leader and not me!!!
Wednesday morning, I was debating whether or not I would remind him about the picture he wanted to give her, but as soon as he woke up, he reached under the chair next to him and grabbed the picture. He "didn't want to forget it" so we put it in his backpack. He wasn't able to give it to her, but kept it in his desk.
I picked him up from school and two teachers peaked in the window and said, "You have a little lover boy on your hands!"
"I know! I can't believe the note and everything!"
They laughed and said bye to Martini.
"Is this normal? He's only in 1st grade!"
"Oh, don't worry. Yes, it's normal!"
We drive away and Martini says, "Mommy, I want to draw her another picture. I want to make her so many. As many as I can. I love Genevieve!" We got home and I made him concentrate on his homework first then he drew her another picture.
That night we were all just hanging out together and all of the sudden Martini says with a smile, "I asked her if she likes Kung Fu Panda and she said that she does and thinks it's funny." He was clearly thinking about her while we were all talking and playing and just being together.
Thursday morning, we put the next picture in his backpack. He wasn't able to give her this one as well but kept it in his desk. He continued talking about how much he loves her.
Martini and Ethan see Carmelita's princess books on the table and Ethan says, "Ewww, girls!" "Ethan, don't say that! I love girls! and I love Genevieve. Did you know that?!" He says forcefully with such conviction. Ethan responds, "Well, I love Mommy. Did you know that?!" We got after them for talking to eachother in a rude way and MyLove and I start laughing at the whole situation.
Friday morning, I wake Martini up telling him that it's Friday in a fun voice. I tell him that he will get the next two days off!
"No! I don't want days off. I want to go to school. I love Genenvieve!"
"Son, it's the weekend. There is no school on the weekends."
"But, I want to see Genevieve."
"Son, don't worry. You will see her on Monday."
"I won't see her on Monday!"
"You will see her on Monday."
Let me tell you, Martini has dreaded school from the very beginning. He cried for the first three weeks at school! He would pine away for Fridays, weekends, and days off. This new excitement for school has been incredible, and it is all the result of his love for this precious little Genevieve! I have met her before when I went to lunch with Martini. She is the most adorable little thing. She eats her lunch so neatly. She opens up her napkin and puts it on the table like a makeshift place mat. And she is ever so polite.
I just can't believe that I am even talking about this when my eldest child is only 6 years old!!! Oh, Lord, please give us wisdom!!!
On Monday, MyLove picked Martini up from school and Martini told him that a little girl in his class, Genevieve, was saying, "Oh, no. He's following me again." MyLove asked him why she said this and he said, "I just like being around her, Daddy. I want to be where she is." . . . Oh, so innocent!
On Tuesday, I picked Martini up from school and said, "Hello, handsome! How was school today!"
"I got a paper!" he said giddily with a big smile on his face.
"What paper?" I asked.
"I got a paper from Genevieve. She asked me 'Do you love me?' and there were two answers at the bottom. 'Yes' and 'No" He was just giggly and smiling away as he told me. And of course I couldn't hold in my laughter and surprise at what he was telling me.
"What did you do?"
"I circled 'yes' then I circled 'no.' I wanted to cross out 'yes,' but Mrs. Holmes came and took the paper and threw it away." Martini says as he puts his head in his hands and shakes his head, still with a beaming smile.
"Oh, wow! Did Mrs. Holmes talk to you about the paper?"
"No."
So, we were all just giggling away, even Ethan now a little bit.
As I drive away from the school, Martini says, "I do a little."
"You do what?"
"I am in love with her a little!" He says shyly and hits his head with his hands.
When we got home, he said he wanted to give her a paper too and immediate got out some paper and drew her a very elaborate picture. He drew himself with armor and a sword and she was in a dress and there were things all over the paper, including a couple of hearts. On the back, he drew a cross with Jesus and blood and nails in His hands and feet. He was a little embarassed to show Daddy that night, but did so and explained it all. He wanted to give it to her the next morning.
MyLove and I talked about it and I told MyLove that I would leave it up to him. Truthfully, I am at a loss. We have explained to the kids that kissing and holding hands and such affection (as Mommy and Daddy do and as seen on movies sometimes) is done when a man and woman are married. But this? I have no idea how to approach this. I was not at all prepared for this. I started really worrying that night if we were raising him correctly and if this was godly and if we should or shouldn't encourage this. Should we explain in more detail to Martini what love is and that it is for adults to act on? What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!?! MyLove just reassured me and encouraged me to pray for wisdom and to not be so worried. Praise the Lord for my grounded, calm hubby! I so need him. And praise the Lord that He's the leader and not me!!!
Wednesday morning, I was debating whether or not I would remind him about the picture he wanted to give her, but as soon as he woke up, he reached under the chair next to him and grabbed the picture. He "didn't want to forget it" so we put it in his backpack. He wasn't able to give it to her, but kept it in his desk.
I picked him up from school and two teachers peaked in the window and said, "You have a little lover boy on your hands!"
"I know! I can't believe the note and everything!"
They laughed and said bye to Martini.
"Is this normal? He's only in 1st grade!"
"Oh, don't worry. Yes, it's normal!"
We drive away and Martini says, "Mommy, I want to draw her another picture. I want to make her so many. As many as I can. I love Genevieve!" We got home and I made him concentrate on his homework first then he drew her another picture.
That night we were all just hanging out together and all of the sudden Martini says with a smile, "I asked her if she likes Kung Fu Panda and she said that she does and thinks it's funny." He was clearly thinking about her while we were all talking and playing and just being together.
Thursday morning, we put the next picture in his backpack. He wasn't able to give her this one as well but kept it in his desk. He continued talking about how much he loves her.
Martini and Ethan see Carmelita's princess books on the table and Ethan says, "Ewww, girls!" "Ethan, don't say that! I love girls! and I love Genevieve. Did you know that?!" He says forcefully with such conviction. Ethan responds, "Well, I love Mommy. Did you know that?!" We got after them for talking to eachother in a rude way and MyLove and I start laughing at the whole situation.
Friday morning, I wake Martini up telling him that it's Friday in a fun voice. I tell him that he will get the next two days off!
"No! I don't want days off. I want to go to school. I love Genenvieve!"
"Son, it's the weekend. There is no school on the weekends."
"But, I want to see Genevieve."
"Son, don't worry. You will see her on Monday."
"I won't see her on Monday!"
"You will see her on Monday."
Let me tell you, Martini has dreaded school from the very beginning. He cried for the first three weeks at school! He would pine away for Fridays, weekends, and days off. This new excitement for school has been incredible, and it is all the result of his love for this precious little Genevieve! I have met her before when I went to lunch with Martini. She is the most adorable little thing. She eats her lunch so neatly. She opens up her napkin and puts it on the table like a makeshift place mat. And she is ever so polite.
I just can't believe that I am even talking about this when my eldest child is only 6 years old!!! Oh, Lord, please give us wisdom!!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Ethan's Letter to Jesus
Ethan was at the park with MyLove and Carmelita and and was talking about all the things Jesus had made. He told MyLove that he wanted to write a letter to Jesus. When he got home he remembered the letter and asked MyLove to write it while he dictated.
Dear Jesus,
I love God. Please make me strong. Help me have some life. Help I have some swords and shields. Help I have strength. Help me grow up fast. Help I have some stuff to keep. Help I have feet all day.
I love you.
Ethan
Dear Jesus,
I love God. Please make me strong. Help me have some life. Help I have some swords and shields. Help I have strength. Help me grow up fast. Help I have some stuff to keep. Help I have feet all day.
I love you.
Ethan
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
My Heart is Touched
Yesterday I was taking Martini to school and we were talking about a little girl who rides with us.
"She's not going to school today because she is celebrating a Muslim holiday. They are not Christians, so they don't believe in God."
"Oh."
"So, we can pray for her and her family to know Jesus!"
"Mommy, I know something better."
"What, Love?"
"We can tell them about Jesus!"
My heart was so touched and I told him so. I am inspired by my precious Martini and his candor. I pray to have his boldness and confidence!
***
Later on that day, Ethan asked me to transform some of his Transformers and I was trying my best. He kept encouraging me and telling me how great I was doing.
"Mommy, that is great! You are doing the best."
"Thank you, Sweetie. You are so encouraging. I love that."
"Does it touch your heart, Mommy?" (referring to how I had told Martini he had touched my heart that morning.)
"Oh, yes. It does very much."
My precious little ones.
***
I went to a women's Bible study last night, and Carmelita was quite difficult for my poor honey. She cried and fussed most of the night. I got home and she stopped crying immediately at my sitting down and having her nurse. She just put her little hands and arms around me and sat there for about 30 minutes! It's usually five minutes or less!
***
After I got home and took Carmelita, MyLove mopped our kitchen floor! I am so very ashamed to say that I have not mopped the entire kitchen floor in . . . years! I am not kidding. Spot cleaning is my M.O. Please, after reading this, don't hesitate to come over because I am a bum!!!
Thank you, my Handsome Hubby!
"She's not going to school today because she is celebrating a Muslim holiday. They are not Christians, so they don't believe in God."
"Oh."
"So, we can pray for her and her family to know Jesus!"
"Mommy, I know something better."
"What, Love?"
"We can tell them about Jesus!"
My heart was so touched and I told him so. I am inspired by my precious Martini and his candor. I pray to have his boldness and confidence!
***
Later on that day, Ethan asked me to transform some of his Transformers and I was trying my best. He kept encouraging me and telling me how great I was doing.
"Mommy, that is great! You are doing the best."
"Thank you, Sweetie. You are so encouraging. I love that."
"Does it touch your heart, Mommy?" (referring to how I had told Martini he had touched my heart that morning.)
"Oh, yes. It does very much."
My precious little ones.
***
I went to a women's Bible study last night, and Carmelita was quite difficult for my poor honey. She cried and fussed most of the night. I got home and she stopped crying immediately at my sitting down and having her nurse. She just put her little hands and arms around me and sat there for about 30 minutes! It's usually five minutes or less!
***
After I got home and took Carmelita, MyLove mopped our kitchen floor! I am so very ashamed to say that I have not mopped the entire kitchen floor in . . . years! I am not kidding. Spot cleaning is my M.O. Please, after reading this, don't hesitate to come over because I am a bum!!!
Thank you, my Handsome Hubby!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Yellow Teeth and Bad Breath
Ethan was smiling and talking this morning and I noticed that his teeth are kind of yellow.
"Ethan, we need to brush your teeth more. They are looking kind of yellow."
" I love yellow!" he replied.
"Yes, but it's not good to have yelllow teeth. It's better to have white teeth."
***
Yesterday, Martini started singing this song:
Breath, Breath
Bad Breath
Who in the world has bad breath.
I do, I have bad breath!
Bad breath, bad breath.
Who has bad breath.
Mine. I have bad breath!
I have no idea where he learned it from or who told him he had bad breath, but it was hilarious hearing him sing this.
"Ethan, we need to brush your teeth more. They are looking kind of yellow."
" I love yellow!" he replied.
"Yes, but it's not good to have yelllow teeth. It's better to have white teeth."
***
Yesterday, Martini started singing this song:
Breath, Breath
Bad Breath
Who in the world has bad breath.
I do, I have bad breath!
Bad breath, bad breath.
Who has bad breath.
Mine. I have bad breath!
I have no idea where he learned it from or who told him he had bad breath, but it was hilarious hearing him sing this.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike has come and gone and we are on the road to normalcy. We praise the Lord for keeping us safe and for all of His provisions. We had leaking in the roof and through windows, some carpet got wet that we pulled back, we lost some shingles on the roof and our fence was almost entirely blown down. Other than that, we faired well. As for the residents at the front of our neighborhood, they look like they were in a war zone. Two residents that we heard of had their upstairs cave in, the sheetrock and everything. Parts of roofes were gone and fences totally taken out. We did really well. We have our power, as of three days ago.
I wish I had taken pictures. I will try to very soon here and post them. Thank you to Dad and Linda for hosting and providing and taking care of us for almost an entire week. You are so precious to us. Thank you to my sister, her family, and my mom for riding it out at our home and sopping up water and taking care of our home as best you could. You're awesome.
I love our family so much.
Thank you to all of you who called me to check up on us and make sure that we are O.K. and thank you to all of you who prayed for us or even thought about us. You are all so dear to us.
I wish I had taken pictures. I will try to very soon here and post them. Thank you to Dad and Linda for hosting and providing and taking care of us for almost an entire week. You are so precious to us. Thank you to my sister, her family, and my mom for riding it out at our home and sopping up water and taking care of our home as best you could. You're awesome.
I love our family so much.
Thank you to all of you who called me to check up on us and make sure that we are O.K. and thank you to all of you who prayed for us or even thought about us. You are all so dear to us.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Feltrop Wedding
I have added a new slideshow to the left of the Feltrop Wedding Carmelita and I attended in Missouri with my parents and sister. Here a few pics. Click here to view full album.
Carmelita and me.
Greg, Melinda (his sister), Jennifer and Mom "Stayin' Alive!"
Jennifer and our cousin Rochelle.
Papa and Carmelita bonding.
We had a wonderful time and the drive there and back was all worth it. We were so very blessed with precious time with our family and we met some new friends.
Here is the beautiful bride, Mary Feltrop.
My parents with the groom, my cousin, Greg Feltrop.
Carmelita and me.
Greg, Melinda (his sister), Jennifer and Mom "Stayin' Alive!"
Jennifer and our cousin Rochelle.
Papa and Carmelita bonding.
We had a wonderful time and the drive there and back was all worth it. We were so very blessed with precious time with our family and we met some new friends.
Greg and Mary, I pray that your beautiful wedding was just the beginning of a lifetime of love and dedication to the Lord Jesus and to eachother. We love you both!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
So many things have been going on and it's been a whirlwind of activity.
* Martini turned 6 years old! My handsome man of the house (when Daddy's not here) is getting bigger and more mature everyday. What a joy he is in our lives.
* Martini started 1st grade at a public school! Getting school supplies, ironing out the logistics and just getting familiar with the school has been huge. What a big deal it is to send your little ones to school.
* Shopping for clothes and supplies for school.
* Carmelita and I went to Missouri with my parents and sister to attend a wedding.
* The kids are in their second month of language classes. They are learning Mandarin and Spanish. They are doing great and loving it.
* MyLove's been so busy at work trying to finish some crucial projects.
* I have been slowly, but steadily working on my NursingCloak and SPIFFE businesses.
I will try to update regularly.
* Martini turned 6 years old! My handsome man of the house (when Daddy's not here) is getting bigger and more mature everyday. What a joy he is in our lives.
* Martini started 1st grade at a public school! Getting school supplies, ironing out the logistics and just getting familiar with the school has been huge. What a big deal it is to send your little ones to school.
* Shopping for clothes and supplies for school.
* Carmelita and I went to Missouri with my parents and sister to attend a wedding.
* The kids are in their second month of language classes. They are learning Mandarin and Spanish. They are doing great and loving it.
* MyLove's been so busy at work trying to finish some crucial projects.
* I have been slowly, but steadily working on my NursingCloak and SPIFFE businesses.
I will try to update regularly.
Friday, August 15, 2008
American Champions!
Wooohooo! We are celebrating the win for Liukin and Johnson who won the gold and silver medals! We are satisfied.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Lousy Gymnastics Scoring
Right now, MyLove, Uncle Daniel and I are watching the Women's All-Around Final Gymnastics and we are getting crazy at how terrible the scoring is. It is our theory that the judges are afraid for their lives or something absolutely ridiculous because this is insane. Uncle Daniel right now is livid and we are trying to take in the injustice of it all.
Anyway . . . time to cool down!
Anyway . . . time to cool down!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Swimming Lessons
The kids have just started another round of swimming lessons. Carmelita and I are in the Mom and Tots group where we sing songs, kick and splash, get our hair wet, and play with little floating toys.
The boys are in the same Pike class learning to jump in, float, kick, paddle their arms and get comfortable with holding their breath under water.
They're all doing great and are learning slowly but surely.
Hopefully, I will have pictures to post soon. We recently ordered a camera and am so excited to get snapping again!
The boys are in the same Pike class learning to jump in, float, kick, paddle their arms and get comfortable with holding their breath under water.
They're all doing great and are learning slowly but surely.
Hopefully, I will have pictures to post soon. We recently ordered a camera and am so excited to get snapping again!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ethan Accepts Jesus as His Saviour!
Last night, during their nightly routine, Ethan told Daddy that he wanted to pray and ask Jesus into his life. He had just heard the story of the five virgins being left out of the wedding feast because they weren't ready (Matthew 25:1-13). Well, he responded with his child-like faith and with great joy, he prayed to Jesus, asking Him to take away his sins and to come into his life. We were so touched by the whole thing. Even before we all prayed together, he was excited and giddy, as if he had already made the decision and done so in his heart. MyLove had explained that the bridegroom was Jesus and we are like the bride waiting to be united with him in heaven (the feast).
Ethan's prayer went something like this:
"Dear God, thank you for this day and all the things you give us. Jesus, please take away my sins. In Jesus' name, Amen"
MyLove then led him in praying and he repeated. Afterward, he told us that he wanted to be baptized! We are so excited and will continue to pray for fruit and ask him questions to be sure he knows what it means. Of course he doesn't understand everything, but the most important things he knows:
1. He does bad things (sin)
2. Those bad things keep us from heaven
3. Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross for us
4. He can take away our sins (and the guilt thereof) if we ask him to and receive that gift
5. We should be baptized to show others our new life in Jesus
We rejoice! We rejoice! We rejoice!
Thank you Lord!!! The angels rejoice as well!
Ethan's prayer went something like this:
"Dear God, thank you for this day and all the things you give us. Jesus, please take away my sins. In Jesus' name, Amen"
MyLove then led him in praying and he repeated. Afterward, he told us that he wanted to be baptized! We are so excited and will continue to pray for fruit and ask him questions to be sure he knows what it means. Of course he doesn't understand everything, but the most important things he knows:
1. He does bad things (sin)
2. Those bad things keep us from heaven
3. Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross for us
4. He can take away our sins (and the guilt thereof) if we ask him to and receive that gift
5. We should be baptized to show others our new life in Jesus
We rejoice! We rejoice! We rejoice!
Thank you Lord!!! The angels rejoice as well!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
How Precious You Are, Martini!
Martini has been so helpful and respectful and precious lately. I just want to jot down some things that he has been doing so I don't forget:
1. Buckling himself in his carseat
2. Unbuckling himself and Ethan when we arrive somewhere
3. Entertaining Carmelita in the car, making her laugh and singing to her
4. Playing with Carmelita in her highchair while I am cooking and sometimes feeding her Cheerios or whatever else is on her tray
5. Picking up his toys
6. Responding with "Yes, Mommy." when I tell him to do something (this is not 100% of the time, but he's getting better. This is something we've been working on for a loooooong time!)
7. Taking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe shelf as soon as we walk into the house
8. Helping me unload the groceries
9. Reminding me to pray or suggesting to pray often (four times today)
10. Eating his "good food" before eating sweets/snacks without arguing
11. Telling me he loves me (twice this evening after I gave him a snack and then later we made snow cones)
12. Telling Carmelita and me how beautiful we are (thank you, MyLove for being the example for Martini!)
13. Opening my Bible saying, "oooh, a Bible!" then asking me to read it to him
14. Exercising with Daddy
15. Picking out his "day clothes" after breakfast and changing himself
16. Sometimes picking out "day clothes" for Ethan as well!
17. About three mornings this week, he got out two bowls, two spoons, poured cereal and poured milk for himself and Ethan while I got to sleep an extra hour or so!
18. Preferred the shower over a bath
19. Gotten braver at swimming
20. Pushed Carmelita around in the umbrella stroller to keep her from running in the street while trimmed bushes (He made it look so fun that Ethan pushed Carmelita some as well, then went inside!)
Martini, what a jewel you are! You are growing so fast and the years are flying by. I don't want to forget these special moments you have blessed me with. Your interests are changing and you are growing more mature every day. What a realization that is to your mommy! I love you so much, my son.
1. Buckling himself in his carseat
2. Unbuckling himself and Ethan when we arrive somewhere
3. Entertaining Carmelita in the car, making her laugh and singing to her
4. Playing with Carmelita in her highchair while I am cooking and sometimes feeding her Cheerios or whatever else is on her tray
5. Picking up his toys
6. Responding with "Yes, Mommy." when I tell him to do something (this is not 100% of the time, but he's getting better. This is something we've been working on for a loooooong time!)
7. Taking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe shelf as soon as we walk into the house
8. Helping me unload the groceries
9. Reminding me to pray or suggesting to pray often (four times today)
10. Eating his "good food" before eating sweets/snacks without arguing
11. Telling me he loves me (twice this evening after I gave him a snack and then later we made snow cones)
12. Telling Carmelita and me how beautiful we are (thank you, MyLove for being the example for Martini!)
13. Opening my Bible saying, "oooh, a Bible!" then asking me to read it to him
14. Exercising with Daddy
15. Picking out his "day clothes" after breakfast and changing himself
16. Sometimes picking out "day clothes" for Ethan as well!
17. About three mornings this week, he got out two bowls, two spoons, poured cereal and poured milk for himself and Ethan while I got to sleep an extra hour or so!
18. Preferred the shower over a bath
19. Gotten braver at swimming
20. Pushed Carmelita around in the umbrella stroller to keep her from running in the street while trimmed bushes (He made it look so fun that Ethan pushed Carmelita some as well, then went inside!)
Martini, what a jewel you are! You are growing so fast and the years are flying by. I don't want to forget these special moments you have blessed me with. Your interests are changing and you are growing more mature every day. What a realization that is to your mommy! I love you so much, my son.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Carmelita Wraps!
On Friday, Carmelita picked up one of her blankets and tried wrapping it around herself! It looked like she was trying to wrap the way that I wrap her. So, I took the blanket and wrapped her little baby Pooh to her belly. It was just adorable. She kept walking around the room and looking down at her "baby." The doll plays music, so everytime she pressed the belly and the music would play, she would start dancing. It was a fantastic sight. If I had a camera, I would have been shooting away, but we are still looking. Hopefully I will have some pics to share soon. It is so very precious.
In the interim, here are a couple of pictures of our princess and another picture of my precious Carmelita wrapped to my back in my Didymos Sequoia Waves wrap.
In the interim, here are a couple of pictures of our princess and another picture of my precious Carmelita wrapped to my back in my Didymos Sequoia Waves wrap.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Our 2-Week Vacation
I had mentioned in an earlier post that I would tell you about our vacation and post some pics. Here they are!
Our vacation was pretty packed, especially compared to what we are used to in our everyday lives. We had something planned almost every day.
First, on our blessed agenda, MyLove and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! MyLove and I dropped off Carmelita at Mom's and had a little celebration with the boys. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A and then saw Kung Fu Panda with them. It was a lot of fun and we all loved the movie. We dropped the boys off at my mom's, nursed Carmelita, and ate great sushi for dinner.Then we got some Tapioca tea. So yummy! We picked up Carmelita and headed home while the boys spent the night.
After sleeping in so peacefully the next morning, we hung out at home then went to pick up the boys and went shopping at Academy.
Forbidden Gardens: we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy and really had a great time. It is amazing. On our tour, there was a couple who had actually been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they had a slew of knowledge and interesting tidbits to share.
MyLove posing like the chariot driver.
Carmelita loving her wrap. Behind us are the thousands of soldiers lined just the way they were discovered.
Each face was different representing real soldiers. Even the armor matched that of the soldiers!
MyLove, Carmelita, Martini and Ethan.
Martini playing the battle drum. It was so loud.
Ethan playing the battle drum. They loved this drum.
Ethan going at it!
The kids and me in front of a chariot and real weapons.
MyLove and Martini by a massive shield.
The kids and I are in front of the Emperor's wife's seat that was carried on the shoulder of men. On the bottom left of the picture is her luggage!
Father's Day: We had breakfast with MyLove's dad (below). For my dad, MyLove, Jimmy and Uncle Daniel played golf with my dad and then I made them some enchiladas for them afterward.
For MyLove, we had homemade waffles and served him on our best China ware. We also got him a grill. It is a Chargriller Duo; complete with a grill for charcoal and a grill for gas grilling. He loves it and grills yummy things for us on it!
Rainforest Cafe: After the Forbidden Gardens, we went to the Katy Mills Mall and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids just loved the "rainstorms" and moving animals there. The food was yummy and the kids' pizzas were awesome; an unexpected surprise. We then took advantage of some awesome sales at a couple of stores in the mall.
Carmelita sleeping at the Rainforest Cafe. She was so tired and slept through all the noise!
Stephanie's 8th Birthday: The kids had a great time with their cousins celebrating Stephanie's 8th birthday. Mary and Craig generously held the party at Build-A-Bear and allotted $25 to each of 10 cousins! Martini chose a panda bear and named him Po after Kung Fu Panda, and Ethan chose a monkey and named him Monkey.
Galveston: We did various things in Galveston. We rented a neat bike and we all rode up and down the seawall for about an hour. We even went through the McDonald's drive-thru! Right after this picture was taken, I handed our digital camera to MyLove and then immediate knocked it out of his hand with my elbow. The camera broke on the concrete seawall! So much for more pictures!
Our vacation was pretty packed, especially compared to what we are used to in our everyday lives. We had something planned almost every day.
First, on our blessed agenda, MyLove and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! MyLove and I dropped off Carmelita at Mom's and had a little celebration with the boys. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A and then saw Kung Fu Panda with them. It was a lot of fun and we all loved the movie. We dropped the boys off at my mom's, nursed Carmelita, and ate great sushi for dinner.Then we got some Tapioca tea. So yummy! We picked up Carmelita and headed home while the boys spent the night.
After sleeping in so peacefully the next morning, we hung out at home then went to pick up the boys and went shopping at Academy.
Forbidden Gardens: we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy and really had a great time. It is amazing. On our tour, there was a couple who had actually been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they had a slew of knowledge and interesting tidbits to share.
Here are some of the thousands of terra-cotta soldiers replicated at the Gardens.
MyLove posing like the chariot driver.
Carmelita loving her wrap. Behind us are the thousands of soldiers lined just the way they were discovered.
Each face was different representing real soldiers. Even the armor matched that of the soldiers!
MyLove, Carmelita, Martini and Ethan.
Martini playing the battle drum. It was so loud.
Ethan playing the battle drum. They loved this drum.
Ethan going at it!
The kids and me in front of a chariot and real weapons.
MyLove and Martini by a massive shield.
The kids and I are in front of the Emperor's wife's seat that was carried on the shoulder of men. On the bottom left of the picture is her luggage!
Father's Day: We had breakfast with MyLove's dad (below). For my dad, MyLove, Jimmy and Uncle Daniel played golf with my dad and then I made them some enchiladas for them afterward.
For MyLove, we had homemade waffles and served him on our best China ware. We also got him a grill. It is a Chargriller Duo; complete with a grill for charcoal and a grill for gas grilling. He loves it and grills yummy things for us on it!
Rainforest Cafe: After the Forbidden Gardens, we went to the Katy Mills Mall and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids just loved the "rainstorms" and moving animals there. The food was yummy and the kids' pizzas were awesome; an unexpected surprise. We then took advantage of some awesome sales at a couple of stores in the mall.
Carmelita sleeping at the Rainforest Cafe. She was so tired and slept through all the noise!
Stephanie's 8th Birthday: The kids had a great time with their cousins celebrating Stephanie's 8th birthday. Mary and Craig generously held the party at Build-A-Bear and allotted $25 to each of 10 cousins! Martini chose a panda bear and named him Po after Kung Fu Panda, and Ethan chose a monkey and named him Monkey.
Galveston: We did various things in Galveston. We rented a neat bike and we all rode up and down the seawall for about an hour. We even went through the McDonald's drive-thru! Right after this picture was taken, I handed our digital camera to MyLove and then immediate knocked it out of his hand with my elbow. The camera broke on the concrete seawall! So much for more pictures!
We then went to our campspot at Galveston Island State Park and were in the midst of setting up our brand new, 10-person tent when a storm flew in at a pace I've never seen before (it wasn't supposed to even hit that night. It was forecasted for the next day). There was lightning, thunder and it started to pour. Thankfully, there was a precious, elderly couple (who happened to be precious believers) who were watching our desperation and invited us into their RV before the downpour. The gentleman helped MyLove do as much as he could and then they housed and took care of my kids and me for the next three hours. MyLove and the gentleman went back out and pushed out tons of water and used towels to finally dry it out. MyLove worked so hard.
Tired and worn out, we made our way inside our temporary abode and tried to get settled. It became so hot and muggy after the rain, but it was a bit cooler because of the rain. Finally, we all laid down and the kids conked out. We were exhausted. MyLove then started having a coughing attack. He was having drainage and being out there, I think, irritated his sinuses. He could not stop coughing. It took about thirty minutes and then had found rest.
About an hour or two later, Ethan woke up suddenly. He was confused and not knowing where he was. He had to pee. I told him in a firm voice to wait just a second so I could unzip the tent so he could pee outside. I knew it was a matter of seconds. I picked him up, but it was too late. He peed on his blanket and all over me.
We took off our peepee clothes and put on the minimum (it was so hot) and threw everything in a corner.
Literally two hours later (4AM) Carmelita woke up coughing uncontrollably and vomited on my shirt and our sheet and on herself (she had some congestion too). I almost started crying, I was so tired and exhausted. I stripped her down, wiped her off, and laid her down. I wiped up as much of the vomit as I could then MyLove, (trying to help in any way he could, seeing how desperate I was) laid a towel on top of it. I couldn't find another clean shirt, and I was so hot. MyLove gave me one of his big shirts and we all went back to sleep again. I prayed for sleep.
I opened my eyes to the sun and my ears were welcomed by the soothing sounds of the water on the beach. We laid there for quite some time just enjoying the sounds and the nice breeze flowing through the tent. We spent a few hours playing on the beach and talking with a lovely German lady with her two grandkids, Cokie and Hans! She spoke German, Spanish, Catalan and was learning English! She was so pleasant and it encouraged and rejuvenated our hearts toward the mission field and how much we love foreigners.
We packed up, ate lunch, visited the Lone Star Flight Museum and stopped by Moody Gardens (but didn't do anything because it was late and prices were expensive) where we played with and touched the ice wall they had on display for the Titanic exhibit. We drove home, unpacked, did laundry and got ready for our next adventure.
Dallas: We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Dallas. My cousin Tim and his wife, Becky, were so gracious in hosting us. The kids grew accustomed to their two poodles and we watched movies and ate great food. They also got us tickets to Six Flags and we let the boys go on as many rides as they could. We adults got to take turns joining them while the others would watch Carmelita. It was so much fun.
Thank you Lord for our family, for my hubby of seven years!!! for his great job that allows vacation for two weeks! for wonderful memories (even though some are hard at the time ;-) and for Your love and the love that we have for eachother. Everything is more enjoyable when you have the joy of the Lord in your life and everything is fulfilling because of Jesus. We have purpose and true satisfaction. Not emptiness.
Thank you, Lord. You are so good to us!
Ethan's Comments on Dying
It was pouring down rain in Houston today and the streets were flooding. I was driving to pick up my sewing machine and yelling with panic at my poor Honey who was trying to tell me alternate routes on the phone. Intersections around me were flooded and I was forced to drive through a couple of them. Praise the Lord, we reached our destination safely and were heading to the Y when Martini asks, "Mommy, is it still flooding? I'm scared."
"No, Sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about." I tell him, fully aware that he heard me panic earlier on the phone with MyLove.
“If it keeps flooding, then we’re going to die, then we will go to Heaven.”
“That’s right, Martini, but it’s not flooding anymore; it’s not even raining."
"How are we going to die then?”
“I don’t know, Love. That’s up to God.”
Ethan then pipes in, “Martini, this is how you die. You smoke, then you die, then you go to heaven and you get a new body!"
. . . Aaaah, theology in the eyes of a three year old! We have been praying for my mom and that she would be able to quit smoking. Well, it is sporadic, so to hear Ethan bring this up is quite amazing, because we realize how much our little ones really do listen!
"No, Sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about." I tell him, fully aware that he heard me panic earlier on the phone with MyLove.
“If it keeps flooding, then we’re going to die, then we will go to Heaven.”
“That’s right, Martini, but it’s not flooding anymore; it’s not even raining."
"How are we going to die then?”
“I don’t know, Love. That’s up to God.”
Ethan then pipes in, “Martini, this is how you die. You smoke, then you die, then you go to heaven and you get a new body!"
. . . Aaaah, theology in the eyes of a three year old! We have been praying for my mom and that she would be able to quit smoking. Well, it is sporadic, so to hear Ethan bring this up is quite amazing, because we realize how much our little ones really do listen!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Lately
MyLove has had the last two weeks off to celebrate our 7th anniversary and spend time with our wee ones doing fun things and just being together. I will blog more with pictures soon, but until then, I will leave you with a comment that Martini made the other day:
"Martini, come on now. It's time for lunch."
"Why? Why do we have to eat?"
It is such a funny comment to me because I looove to eat food that I enjoy, but when I am trying to get things done, I know how incovenient it can be to have to stop everything to eat and feed the clan. My Uncle Daniel once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Martini is definitely the latter!
"Martini, come on now. It's time for lunch."
"Why? Why do we have to eat?"
It is such a funny comment to me because I looove to eat food that I enjoy, but when I am trying to get things done, I know how incovenient it can be to have to stop everything to eat and feed the clan. My Uncle Daniel once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Martini is definitely the latter!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Martini is Baptized!
Please join us as we praise the Lord! Martini was baptized today!
About two years ago, Martini accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He prayed with my mother, his Mema, to have Jesus Christ in his life and to follow Him and asked that Jesus take away his sins. Since then, we have prayed with him as well, as he has wanted to. We have told him how Jesus commands us to be baptized to show others that your life is Jesus'. Water-baptism is a physical representation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit when one gives their life to Jesus and receives salvation. Well, this was a difficult subject for Martini because he is afraid of water. The thought of being totally submerged was frightening to him, so he explicitly has said that he does not want to be baptized until he is much older. "When I am older, Mommy/Daddy, then I will be baptized. I don't want to be baptized. I'm afraid."
Today, we had a playdate at Mema's house. We had a couple of friends over with their kids and we hung out in the pool and enjoyed snow cones and food. The kids were having a blast. At one point, Martini asked me to lay down in the water. I laid down at the bottom of the pool and came up. Martini says, "Mommy, you were 'ba-pi-tized!' "
"Oh, is that why you asked me to lay down in the pool?"
"Yes, so you can be ba-pi-tized."
"Martini, Mommy was baptized a long time ago. Let me show you how you get baptized"
So I went under the water for a mili-second and came back up.
"See? It's easy! It's not hard at all! It's really fast. "
"Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized!"
"You do? Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!"
"I want to be ba-pi-tized right now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Now I am holding him and talking to him. I am baffled and praying about what I should do.
"Sweety, do you want to wait until Daddy can be here?"
"No, I want to do it now."
A million thoughts were going through my head: MyLove isn't here. Is he doing this just for fun? Can I do this kind of thing? Do I need to wait until a pastor can do it. Wait a minute, I remember my dad regretting not baptizing me and my brother when we were little instead of having the pastor do it. My grandfather, a pastor, baptized my mom and sister and it was very special. What about my friends here, do they understand the significance of this? Will they think that I am doing something that I am not qualified to do? All the sudden, I felt a prompt on my heart and had the thought: what if this was the last chance Martini had to get baptized? It would be terrible not to allow him to obey the Lord because I thought it wasn't the perfect timing.
"OK, Martini. Why do you want to be baptized?"
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And, what does that mean?"
"I prayed and He took away my sins."
"Yes, and with Jesus in your life, that means you need to honor Him."
"Yes, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
"Are you sure, Love?"
"Yes! Why do you keep asking me things?"
"Martini, I want to be sure you know what it means to be baptized."
"I know. Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
My friends are there listening now and I look at them and start crying while I hold him and keep thinking. Martini is all the while smiling so big and continued to tell me that he was ready. There were some other things said, but I can't remember. We were all just proud of him for wanting to do this.
So, I think that I said this prayer out loud with Martini (if not, it was in my head) it was all so fast. "Thank you Lord, for Martini's heart in wanting to get baptized and show others that he has Jesus in His life and that Jesus has taken away (forgiven) his sins. In Jesus name, Amen.
"OK, Martini. Let's tell everyone! Hey, guys (Teresa, Abi, Mema, and kids) Martini wants to share something very special with you. He wants to be baptized!" By now, I can't stop crying.
"Martini, tell them why you want to be baptized."
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And you want to obey Jesus' command to be baptized?"
"Yes."
I gain my composure.
"OK, Love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I baptize you!"
I dunk his head back in the water and Martini comes up with a huge smile saying, "I was ba-pi-tized! I was ba-pi-tized!" And everyone cheered for him and some more tears were shed.
"Mommy, now ba-pi-tize Ethan."
"No, Sweety. He is not ready to be baptized. He doesn't have Jesus in his life yet. We need to keep praying for him to have Jesus in his life too!"
This was all totally unsolicited. Martini knew that we had assured him numerous times that he would not be baptized until he was ready. We would never force him. It was up to him to decide when he was ready to obey Jesus and be baptized.
Later on, he was so excited to tell Papa. I talked to MyLove on the phone, and Martini asked if I told Daddy when I was talking to him. I told him yes and that he was so proud of him. When we got home, Martini excitedly told MyLove what happened (this is at about 11PM!) MyLove and Martini sat on the bed for the longest time talking about baptism, the Holy Spirit, heaven, treasures in heaven, dying, how proud Jesus is of him, how if he wants to get baptized at church, he can still do that so his friends and other Christians can cheer for him and support him. Martini was on cloud nine, and so were we. He kept talking and talking about it. At one point, he told MyLove, "Let's keep talking about godly things. I like talking about these things." Of course, MyLove was only too excited to oblige.
We give all the glory to the Lord and thank Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. Only through Him is there salvation and eternal life!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!
And, thank you Lord, for our oh, so precious Martini. He is the one I specifically dedicated to the Lord before and during pregnancy and MyLove and I dedicated Him to the Lord when he was born. I pray that You, oh Lord will use him as a mighty warrior for Your kingdom!!! AMEN.
About two years ago, Martini accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He prayed with my mother, his Mema, to have Jesus Christ in his life and to follow Him and asked that Jesus take away his sins. Since then, we have prayed with him as well, as he has wanted to. We have told him how Jesus commands us to be baptized to show others that your life is Jesus'. Water-baptism is a physical representation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit when one gives their life to Jesus and receives salvation. Well, this was a difficult subject for Martini because he is afraid of water. The thought of being totally submerged was frightening to him, so he explicitly has said that he does not want to be baptized until he is much older. "When I am older, Mommy/Daddy, then I will be baptized. I don't want to be baptized. I'm afraid."
Today, we had a playdate at Mema's house. We had a couple of friends over with their kids and we hung out in the pool and enjoyed snow cones and food. The kids were having a blast. At one point, Martini asked me to lay down in the water. I laid down at the bottom of the pool and came up. Martini says, "Mommy, you were 'ba-pi-tized!' "
"Oh, is that why you asked me to lay down in the pool?"
"Yes, so you can be ba-pi-tized."
"Martini, Mommy was baptized a long time ago. Let me show you how you get baptized"
So I went under the water for a mili-second and came back up.
"See? It's easy! It's not hard at all! It's really fast. "
"Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized!"
"You do? Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!"
"I want to be ba-pi-tized right now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Now I am holding him and talking to him. I am baffled and praying about what I should do.
"Sweety, do you want to wait until Daddy can be here?"
"No, I want to do it now."
A million thoughts were going through my head: MyLove isn't here. Is he doing this just for fun? Can I do this kind of thing? Do I need to wait until a pastor can do it. Wait a minute, I remember my dad regretting not baptizing me and my brother when we were little instead of having the pastor do it. My grandfather, a pastor, baptized my mom and sister and it was very special. What about my friends here, do they understand the significance of this? Will they think that I am doing something that I am not qualified to do? All the sudden, I felt a prompt on my heart and had the thought: what if this was the last chance Martini had to get baptized? It would be terrible not to allow him to obey the Lord because I thought it wasn't the perfect timing.
"OK, Martini. Why do you want to be baptized?"
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And, what does that mean?"
"I prayed and He took away my sins."
"Yes, and with Jesus in your life, that means you need to honor Him."
"Yes, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
"Are you sure, Love?"
"Yes! Why do you keep asking me things?"
"Martini, I want to be sure you know what it means to be baptized."
"I know. Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
My friends are there listening now and I look at them and start crying while I hold him and keep thinking. Martini is all the while smiling so big and continued to tell me that he was ready. There were some other things said, but I can't remember. We were all just proud of him for wanting to do this.
So, I think that I said this prayer out loud with Martini (if not, it was in my head) it was all so fast. "Thank you Lord, for Martini's heart in wanting to get baptized and show others that he has Jesus in His life and that Jesus has taken away (forgiven) his sins. In Jesus name, Amen.
"OK, Martini. Let's tell everyone! Hey, guys (Teresa, Abi, Mema, and kids) Martini wants to share something very special with you. He wants to be baptized!" By now, I can't stop crying.
"Martini, tell them why you want to be baptized."
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And you want to obey Jesus' command to be baptized?"
"Yes."
I gain my composure.
"OK, Love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I baptize you!"
I dunk his head back in the water and Martini comes up with a huge smile saying, "I was ba-pi-tized! I was ba-pi-tized!" And everyone cheered for him and some more tears were shed.
"Mommy, now ba-pi-tize Ethan."
"No, Sweety. He is not ready to be baptized. He doesn't have Jesus in his life yet. We need to keep praying for him to have Jesus in his life too!"
This was all totally unsolicited. Martini knew that we had assured him numerous times that he would not be baptized until he was ready. We would never force him. It was up to him to decide when he was ready to obey Jesus and be baptized.
Later on, he was so excited to tell Papa. I talked to MyLove on the phone, and Martini asked if I told Daddy when I was talking to him. I told him yes and that he was so proud of him. When we got home, Martini excitedly told MyLove what happened (this is at about 11PM!) MyLove and Martini sat on the bed for the longest time talking about baptism, the Holy Spirit, heaven, treasures in heaven, dying, how proud Jesus is of him, how if he wants to get baptized at church, he can still do that so his friends and other Christians can cheer for him and support him. Martini was on cloud nine, and so were we. He kept talking and talking about it. At one point, he told MyLove, "Let's keep talking about godly things. I like talking about these things." Of course, MyLove was only too excited to oblige.
We give all the glory to the Lord and thank Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. Only through Him is there salvation and eternal life!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!
And, thank you Lord, for our oh, so precious Martini. He is the one I specifically dedicated to the Lord before and during pregnancy and MyLove and I dedicated Him to the Lord when he was born. I pray that You, oh Lord will use him as a mighty warrior for Your kingdom!!! AMEN.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Gone Are Our Mohicans
Well, after a looooong week (almost two months actually!) we shaved off the boys' mohawks. The boys really enjoyed them for a while, but decided they wanted them shaved off this last weekend. They received a lot of compliments and comments and some people probably thought I was "one of those weird mothers." People asked us how we did it and we were able to share some tips we learned. One product that we are fans of is Got 2 Be hair glue! It is awesome. It really kept the mohawks up even when changing shirts, hard play and naps. It takes some scrubbing though to get it out.
One thing the boys learned through this experience is that they are representatives of Jesus and the Ford family. We really drilled them on this explaining that they had to be good examples with the attention they got. It was a good lesson and I plan on continuing to drill them on it!
My mom graciously came over yesterday to help me with the kids and I was able to shave their heads while she held and entertained Carmelita. Here is a picture of Martini and Ethan with their new do's and some silly ones as well.
"Silly"
"Mad"
One thing the boys learned through this experience is that they are representatives of Jesus and the Ford family. We really drilled them on this explaining that they had to be good examples with the attention they got. It was a good lesson and I plan on continuing to drill them on it!
My mom graciously came over yesterday to help me with the kids and I was able to shave their heads while she held and entertained Carmelita. Here is a picture of Martini and Ethan with their new do's and some silly ones as well.
"Silly"
"Mad" (Notice Ethan's tie. He and Martini just like to wear it sometimes. He put it on himself this morning.)
"Sad"
"Happy"
"Sad"
"Happy"
"Scared"
Martini took this picture of Carmelita.
My Mother's Day
I want to thank MyLove for a wonderfully sweet Mother's Day. On Saturday, May 10th, MyLove let me sleep in while he fed the kids. What a pearl sleep becomes when you have kiddos! I got up and had a liesurely breakfast and then MyLove and the kids surprised me with a dozen beautiful roses. They are called carnival roses. They are yellow with red tips around the petals. He also gave me a card that was signed and written by the kids. We then got ready to go out. MyLove and the kids surprised me with a trip to the Cinema 6 by our house and we watched Horton by Dr Seuss. It was pretty good and had various messages you can pull from it. The boys sat through the whole thing and Carmelita did very well by sitting through the entire first hour and previews. She started getting restless, so MyLove took her out to walk around, and then I took over (even though MyLove didn't want me to. Thanks, Babe)
After the movie, we headed to Panera Bread for some yummy sandwiches and a refreshing time sitting outside. The weather was perfect and we had the entire patio to ourselves. We were laughing, being silly, the kids could walk around and there was no one to disturb. It was great.
We then went to Starbucks (mmmmm!) and saw some friends and then enjoyed pastries and coffee outside. The kids just loved being outside. I praise the Lord for such beautiful weather and that we could enjoy it together as a family. It was the perfect end to my Mother's Day.
Thank you, Babe, for loving me and for making me feel so appreciated. I couldn't do it without your encouragement and love. I love you!
After the movie, we headed to Panera Bread for some yummy sandwiches and a refreshing time sitting outside. The weather was perfect and we had the entire patio to ourselves. We were laughing, being silly, the kids could walk around and there was no one to disturb. It was great.
We then went to Starbucks (mmmmm!) and saw some friends and then enjoyed pastries and coffee outside. The kids just loved being outside. I praise the Lord for such beautiful weather and that we could enjoy it together as a family. It was the perfect end to my Mother's Day.
Thank you, Babe, for loving me and for making me feel so appreciated. I couldn't do it without your encouragement and love. I love you!
Carmelita did not want to get her picture taken. Can you tell?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Because God Made Him That Way!
This morning, Ethan was playing with his Star Wars men/things and was describing Darth Vader to me. I was folding clothes, half-listening when Ethan says, "He has buttons on his chest."
"I wonder why?" I asked, trying to still have a conversation, listen to him, fold the laundry, wonder where Carmelita was, and think of what else I could get done before MyLove gets home from getting the car inspected. (I say all this only to make myself feel better that I was really only barely listening to him and asked this question so that he thought I was fully listening :-(
"Because God made him that way!" he so preciously replied.
Then he showed me Darth Vader and the buttons he was referring to on his chest.
"I wonder why?" I asked, trying to still have a conversation, listen to him, fold the laundry, wonder where Carmelita was, and think of what else I could get done before MyLove gets home from getting the car inspected. (I say all this only to make myself feel better that I was really only barely listening to him and asked this question so that he thought I was fully listening :-(
"Because God made him that way!" he so preciously replied.
Then he showed me Darth Vader and the buttons he was referring to on his chest.
Happy Mother's Day to My Mom!
Last night my wonderful hubby watched Martini, Ethanael, and Carmelita so that my sister and I could take my mom out for Mother's Day. We had a great time talking, laughing and eating good food. It is an amazing bond already that we are our mother's daughters, but the fact that we can share being mothers together is extra special . . . and then on top of that loving the Lord together. What can get better?!
We started the night off at Little Miyako for some bento boxes and sushi and green tea. MMMMM, yummy!!! Then we went to Sago Filipino Restaurant for some tasty tapioca drinks. We sat in a couple of comfy sofas and looked at magazines with stars and their newborns and laughed and wondered why we three women all blow up like balloons when we're pregnant and look nothing like these women with simple cantelopes for bellies. We talked about our kids, our hubbies, our desires, and how much fun we were having. What as blessing of a night it was.
I love you, Mom, so much and continue to love you and appreciate you every day.
You minister to my soul and encourage me constantly. I want to be like you. I want to be a prayer warrior like you and love and accept all people like you. I want to be an incredible hostess like you are and always have been growing up. I want to believe and hold on to your mantra: "Love Conquers All!!!"
You minister to my soul and encourage me constantly. I want to be like you. I want to be a prayer warrior like you and love and accept all people like you. I want to be an incredible hostess like you are and always have been growing up. I want to believe and hold on to your mantra: "Love Conquers All!!!"
I love you, Mom!
And to my sister. You make my life interesting with all your happenings and life . . . um . . . how do I say it . . . DRAMA! I love you and thank you for all of your advice and fun-loving heart. And I thank you for always doing my hair and reminding me to look my best. You make my life colorful in your own special way.
I love you, Jennifer!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Ethanisms
Ethan has been saying some of the cutest things. Here are a few that I can remember right now:
"Mommy, can I turn on the light?" "Why?" "I'm scared of the darkness."
Spanich - for Spanish
Wooh! I'm fwetty! - for sweaty
Blana- for banana
I'm hungly - for hungry
Me want oatmeal with sugar. - We keep encouraging him to use "I want" instead of "me want."
He has been so precious lately. Today, I enjoyed a long conversation with him where I really listened to his numerous recalls of different scenes in different movies saying, "Do you remember when . . . That was so funny. Do you remember dat?" He kept trying to recall different funny scenes and see me laugh.
I praise the Lord because he keeps giving me these precious moments with each of my little ones and I just find that I love them more everyday. It makes my heart ache. I want to love them with all that I have, but then the next moment I'm getting impatient with them or scolding them. It is a neverending life lesson to be patient and there are endless opportunities for me to see my shortcomings. My encouragement is that I know I can't be the mom I long to be and the Lord knows that, so I go to Him and that is all He wants from me. Surrender. Giving it to Him and "praying without ceasing" as Paul so rationally put it. I will never be the mom I long to be unless I rely on the Creator for wisdom, strength, endurance, patience, fairness and to be honest, sanity! And I have full confidence that the Lord is faithful. The question is: am I faithfully seeking Him?!
"Mommy, can I turn on the light?" "Why?" "I'm scared of the darkness."
Spanich - for Spanish
Wooh! I'm fwetty! - for sweaty
Blana- for banana
I'm hungly - for hungry
Me want oatmeal with sugar. - We keep encouraging him to use "I want" instead of "me want."
He has been so precious lately. Today, I enjoyed a long conversation with him where I really listened to his numerous recalls of different scenes in different movies saying, "Do you remember when . . . That was so funny. Do you remember dat?" He kept trying to recall different funny scenes and see me laugh.
I praise the Lord because he keeps giving me these precious moments with each of my little ones and I just find that I love them more everyday. It makes my heart ache. I want to love them with all that I have, but then the next moment I'm getting impatient with them or scolding them. It is a neverending life lesson to be patient and there are endless opportunities for me to see my shortcomings. My encouragement is that I know I can't be the mom I long to be and the Lord knows that, so I go to Him and that is all He wants from me. Surrender. Giving it to Him and "praying without ceasing" as Paul so rationally put it. I will never be the mom I long to be unless I rely on the Creator for wisdom, strength, endurance, patience, fairness and to be honest, sanity! And I have full confidence that the Lord is faithful. The question is: am I faithfully seeking Him?!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Toy Dilemma
Our children have been very blessed with innumerable amounts of toys. If you come to our house, you will see bins and bins and laundry baskets and containers and boxes full of toys. They are in our living room, school room, the boys' room, Carmelita's room, the office . . . everywhere! I have had organizing fits and put them up neatly, but in my desperate moments, I let the boys take out bins and play with more toys without putting back the other, and utter chaos ensues.
Well, I am on an organizing and purging rampage right now and am about to continue with it after this post. Ahhh, how I love order, but the time and energy it takes is quite overwhelming. And doing it with the wee ones discovering "new toys" or "toys they love" makes it virtually impossible. So, right now at 1 AM, I am going to get my rear in gear and blitz this task!!!
Well, I am on an organizing and purging rampage right now and am about to continue with it after this post. Ahhh, how I love order, but the time and energy it takes is quite overwhelming. And doing it with the wee ones discovering "new toys" or "toys they love" makes it virtually impossible. So, right now at 1 AM, I am going to get my rear in gear and blitz this task!!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Snackies
The other day the kids and I were on our way somewhere and they were hungry for some snacks. I told them, "Don't worry, I have some snackies that we can eat as soon as we get there."
"Mommy, I hope they aren't good for us." Martini replies.
The boys looooove sweets and when they want a snack, they would prefer sweet fruit snacks or cookies much more than cheese or fruit, although, they do get excited over grapes and mangos, thankfully!
"Mommy, I hope they aren't good for us." Martini replies.
The boys looooove sweets and when they want a snack, they would prefer sweet fruit snacks or cookies much more than cheese or fruit, although, they do get excited over grapes and mangos, thankfully!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Carmelita's Walking!
Well, on Thursday morning, Carmelita took her first three steps, unassisted. I saw her pull to a stand by her bed and kind of twist her upper torso back and forth like she was dancing. Then, she walked to the laundry basket about three steps away. It was so cute. I cheered with excitement for her, but that scared her, so she dropped to a crawl and scurried into my arms.
Last night she was walking about eleven or more steps at a time and started walking to the armoir and kitchen table and couch. She was loving it.
Yesterday, we went to the Miller Outdoor Theater with a couple of girlfriends and their little kiddies and had a picnic by the hill. The kids were having so much fun running up and down the big hill. Ethan would run to the top of the hill and wave his hands at me making sure I saw him and run down so fast almost falling various times. His round cheeks were so cute just bouncing up and down with his mohawk flapping all over the place. His face was beet red and he would come down with a huge smile and do it all over again, but Martini would not go without me. He is very cautious and takes the stranger thing very seriously. Anyway, I finally went up the hill with him and Ethan and Carmelita.
"Come on, kids, let's go up the hill. I will come with you now, Martini. Let's go!"
"OK, Mommy." Martini says.
"Martini, why don't you try rolling down the hill now like Ethan did?!"
"No, Mommy, I don't want to."
"OK, then. Let's all run down the hill. Ready. Set. Go!"
Ethan takes off and I trot down with Carmelita in my arms and Martin jogs beside me saying,
"What are we doing this for?" he says with his hands up in the air while he jogs.
"What are we doing WHAT for?"
"What are we doing THIS for?"
"Because IT'S FUN!!! Don't you think this is fun?" I ask as loads of field-trippers from tons of schools run and roll down this gigantic hill.
We get to the bottom and he says, "I don't want to do this anymore. I wan't to play my game!" (referring to a new handheld game my mom just got him).
I have realized (as I have had to many times) that my little Martini has his own personality, desires, and strengths. MyLove and I love playing sports and outdoor activities and we have hoped and encouraged our little babes to love the same things, but Martini is perfectly content with his Legos, Star Wars figurines, drawings, and games.
I told him, "Martini, I think that you will be a computer programmer one day, like Daddy."
And he smiled a big smile and played his game.
Thank You, Lord, for giving me such a sweet, funny Martini as my son. You have given him special strengths and desires and I pray that they will be used for Your glory! And I thank you for Ethan, who is fun-loving and vibrant and active. May his energy be used to honor you in all he does. And I thank You for my sweet princess, Carmelita, whose personality comes out a little more each day. Who loves people and loves to dance and loves to laugh. May she grow to be a beautiful woman of God who displays Godly wisdom in life. Thank You, Lord, for giving us such special children. In Jesus' name I pray this. Amen.
Last night she was walking about eleven or more steps at a time and started walking to the armoir and kitchen table and couch. She was loving it.
Yesterday, we went to the Miller Outdoor Theater with a couple of girlfriends and their little kiddies and had a picnic by the hill. The kids were having so much fun running up and down the big hill. Ethan would run to the top of the hill and wave his hands at me making sure I saw him and run down so fast almost falling various times. His round cheeks were so cute just bouncing up and down with his mohawk flapping all over the place. His face was beet red and he would come down with a huge smile and do it all over again, but Martini would not go without me. He is very cautious and takes the stranger thing very seriously. Anyway, I finally went up the hill with him and Ethan and Carmelita.
"Come on, kids, let's go up the hill. I will come with you now, Martini. Let's go!"
"OK, Mommy." Martini says.
"Martini, why don't you try rolling down the hill now like Ethan did?!"
"No, Mommy, I don't want to."
"OK, then. Let's all run down the hill. Ready. Set. Go!"
Ethan takes off and I trot down with Carmelita in my arms and Martin jogs beside me saying,
"What are we doing this for?" he says with his hands up in the air while he jogs.
"What are we doing WHAT for?"
"What are we doing THIS for?"
"Because IT'S FUN!!! Don't you think this is fun?" I ask as loads of field-trippers from tons of schools run and roll down this gigantic hill.
We get to the bottom and he says, "I don't want to do this anymore. I wan't to play my game!" (referring to a new handheld game my mom just got him).
I have realized (as I have had to many times) that my little Martini has his own personality, desires, and strengths. MyLove and I love playing sports and outdoor activities and we have hoped and encouraged our little babes to love the same things, but Martini is perfectly content with his Legos, Star Wars figurines, drawings, and games.
I told him, "Martini, I think that you will be a computer programmer one day, like Daddy."
And he smiled a big smile and played his game.
Thank You, Lord, for giving me such a sweet, funny Martini as my son. You have given him special strengths and desires and I pray that they will be used for Your glory! And I thank you for Ethan, who is fun-loving and vibrant and active. May his energy be used to honor you in all he does. And I thank You for my sweet princess, Carmelita, whose personality comes out a little more each day. Who loves people and loves to dance and loves to laugh. May she grow to be a beautiful woman of God who displays Godly wisdom in life. Thank You, Lord, for giving us such special children. In Jesus' name I pray this. Amen.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Gifts
Tonight, Martini took a handkerchief and told MyLove and me that he wanted to wrap a gift for the family. So, he filled up the handkerchief with some items (I still don't know what) and told us that we have to wait until tomorrow to open it up as a family. We told him how sweet it was and praised him for wanting to give gifts to others.
Then, Ethan took out a blanket and said, "I am going to wrap a gift for myself now!" MyLove and I started cracking up.
"You mean you are going to wrap a gift for Martini?"
"No, for myself!"
Later on, Martini asked Daddy to wrap a gift for him. So, MyLove took the blanket and wrapped a couple of toys. Martini unwrapped it and said, "Daddy, this is not a very good gift. Can you wrap another one?" MyLove, the most patient man in the world, wrapped another set of toys.
Martini unwrapped the gift and went through the toys saying, "This is a good one, this one isn't so good, this one is the best one, this one isn't . . . Daddy, can you do it again?"
MyLove then wrapped up Martini's pirate treasure chest, a toy that Martini loves. Martini opened it up, then looked inside the chest and said, "Daddy, you're supposed to put something in the treasure chest!" MyLove and I were laughing so hard now at the craziness in Martini telling us what gifts to give him and his unsatisfactory responses. Believe me, we had a good talk about gifts and gratefulness. But, it was still fun watching the boys enjoy opening "gifts" that they have lying around already!
Then, Ethan took out a blanket and said, "I am going to wrap a gift for myself now!" MyLove and I started cracking up.
"You mean you are going to wrap a gift for Martini?"
"No, for myself!"
Later on, Martini asked Daddy to wrap a gift for him. So, MyLove took the blanket and wrapped a couple of toys. Martini unwrapped it and said, "Daddy, this is not a very good gift. Can you wrap another one?" MyLove, the most patient man in the world, wrapped another set of toys.
Martini unwrapped the gift and went through the toys saying, "This is a good one, this one isn't so good, this one is the best one, this one isn't . . . Daddy, can you do it again?"
MyLove then wrapped up Martini's pirate treasure chest, a toy that Martini loves. Martini opened it up, then looked inside the chest and said, "Daddy, you're supposed to put something in the treasure chest!" MyLove and I were laughing so hard now at the craziness in Martini telling us what gifts to give him and his unsatisfactory responses. Believe me, we had a good talk about gifts and gratefulness. But, it was still fun watching the boys enjoy opening "gifts" that they have lying around already!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Martini's Busted Eye
Well, on Friday night, Martini was in such a good mood and was running to get something. He tripped and fell and hit his head on our coffee table. It made the loudest "thud." Immediately he started crying the most painful cry. It just broke my heart. His eyebrow was split pretty bad and we called his pediatrician who said it was pretty much our call whether to take him to the ER to get stitches or try to close the split at home with a bandaid. We prayed about it and talked and decided to try a butterfly bandage. Uncle Daniel went out and got some for Martini we carefully placed the bandage so that his skin was brought together so that it wasn't split. MyLove and I then nursed his eye with some ice and lovin'. He is doing so much better today.
It was so sweet. Tonight, Ethan said that he wanted to kiss Martini's eye. So MyLove had him kiss very gently Martini's forehead. They really love eachother.
Tonight, Martini prayed a precious prayer once again. He thanked the Lord for various things including "good food, and sweet food, and for our bodies and for eyes that can see." He then prayed, "please help Carmelita not to get mad as she gets older and for no one to get sick, even us. It is in Jesus' name I pray. Amen." He really says those words. He sounds like an adult sometimes.
The prayer for Carmelita is in reference to some very "spirited" fits she's been displaying when not getting her way. She has started hitting her brothers' heads and getting into things that she is not supposed to, so when we tell her "no" or take her away from a "no touch" item/area, boy does she let you know that she doesn't like it! She has quite an opinion for such a little being!
Here is Martini that night. His eye is quite swollen here, but you can't really tell in this picture.
This is Martini's eye tonight. It had bruised up a lot yesterday, but now the blood is falling down the eyelid. The cut looks great now and looks like it is healing beautifully. Praise the Lord!
It was so sweet. Tonight, Ethan said that he wanted to kiss Martini's eye. So MyLove had him kiss very gently Martini's forehead. They really love eachother.
Tonight, Martini prayed a precious prayer once again. He thanked the Lord for various things including "good food, and sweet food, and for our bodies and for eyes that can see." He then prayed, "please help Carmelita not to get mad as she gets older and for no one to get sick, even us. It is in Jesus' name I pray. Amen." He really says those words. He sounds like an adult sometimes.
The prayer for Carmelita is in reference to some very "spirited" fits she's been displaying when not getting her way. She has started hitting her brothers' heads and getting into things that she is not supposed to, so when we tell her "no" or take her away from a "no touch" item/area, boy does she let you know that she doesn't like it! She has quite an opinion for such a little being!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Martini's Prayer
Every night before bed, Martin or I will pray with the boys and Martini and Ethan will usually pray as well. Tonight I prayed with them and this was what Martini prayed:
"Dear Lord, thank you for all of our food, and for a fun time today. Thank you for all of the things that you have given us. Thank you for Mema and the superprizes she gave us and for candy and toys and Carmelita. Thank you for our movies. And I pray that tomorrow we will have a good day and that Mommy will not get mad and that we won't be so difficult. In Jesus' name, Amen."
I got up and looked at Martini and just hugged him and thanked him for his precious, most innocent and blessed prayer. I thanked him for praying for me and he explained that he prayed about me getting mad and that he wouldn't be difficult in reference to homeschooling. Boy, was I convicted and yet encouraged that I had the prayers of this tiny and mighty warrior behind me!
Thank You, Lord, for such a son who is living up to his God-given name: Martin - Warrior!
Ethan also prayed:
"Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Amen"
Simple, to the point, and full of thanks! Thank You, Lord, for my Ethan!
"Dear Lord, thank you for all of our food, and for a fun time today. Thank you for all of the things that you have given us. Thank you for Mema and the superprizes she gave us and for candy and toys and Carmelita. Thank you for our movies. And I pray that tomorrow we will have a good day and that Mommy will not get mad and that we won't be so difficult. In Jesus' name, Amen."
I got up and looked at Martini and just hugged him and thanked him for his precious, most innocent and blessed prayer. I thanked him for praying for me and he explained that he prayed about me getting mad and that he wouldn't be difficult in reference to homeschooling. Boy, was I convicted and yet encouraged that I had the prayers of this tiny and mighty warrior behind me!
Thank You, Lord, for such a son who is living up to his God-given name: Martin - Warrior!
Ethan also prayed:
"Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Amen"
Simple, to the point, and full of thanks! Thank You, Lord, for my Ethan!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Mohawk Mania
When all of our kids have turned one, we have completely shaved their heads. This is something I learned from my mom. It is a Filipino tradition that encourages stronger, thicker hair and evens the length throughout. Well, doing this to Carmelita has raised some eyebrows and I have had some pretty interesting comments about it all.
Anyway, in support of their sister, we decided to shave the boys' beautiful, long, thick hair as well. They didn't like the idea of it so short but loved the idea of a mohawk. They have a cousin, Ezekiel, who has sported a mohawk for about two years now (I think), and jumped at the idea of having one like him.
Sooooooo, I shaved their heads before Carmelita's birthday and when we shaved Carmelita's hair on her birthday, we gave her a mohawk too!
Left View
Right View
This picture cracks me up. Ethan is probably trying to explain how hungry he is (as always), Carmelita is bored picking her nose, and Martini is posing tough for the camera.
I looooove this picture.
Right View
This picture cracks me up. Ethan is probably trying to explain how hungry he is (as always), Carmelita is bored picking her nose, and Martini is posing tough for the camera.
I looooove this picture.
The boys are so loving with their sister. They really love her and were so excited when they saw that we had given Carmelita a mohawk as well.
Martini helping his sister walk around.
"Oh, no!"
Martini in his warrior pose.
Ethan lookin' cool.
Carmelita looking at her new elephant.
You can see some curls there at the bottom.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Last night I shaved Carmelita's mohawk off and this is what she looked like today while playing in the pots and pans cupboard.
My lovely, little lady.
Martini helping his sister walk around.
"Oh, no!"
Martini in his warrior pose.
Ethan lookin' cool.
Carmelita looking at her new elephant.
You can see some curls there at the bottom.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Last night I shaved Carmelita's mohawk off and this is what she looked like today while playing in the pots and pans cupboard.
My lovely, little lady.
We plan on keeping the boys' mohawks for a little while. We've gone out various times and they definitely get comments. We tell the boys that having attention like that means they have to be very careful with the way they behave and be good examples to children. They are representatives of not only our family, but also the Lord. It's a big concept, but hopefully some good will come out of this Mohawk Mania!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)