Times of Transition

I love change. I really do.

I love moving to new places.

I love new projects.

I love new ventures.

Well, there have been two new changes in our lives that have been quite the transition.

#1: My sweet nephew, Anthony, has moved in with us. He had moved to Guam with his family, but got the opportunity to move back. He was going to move in with us, at the time, after a few weeks. It ended up being within a week!

I picked him up at the airport with the kids on Dec. 9th and it's already been a week. Time just flies.

We have so enjoyed his company and the kids can't get enough of him. E asks to play Stratego with him every day. C and G looove being thrown up in the air and tickled and read to. M has enjoyed talking about the romance Anthony has going on with his girlfriend, Marissa. M is suuuuch a romantic.

This has been a delightful transition.

#2: I moved the girls to their own room about a week or two before Anthony moved in (without correlation. I just knew it was time). Well, one of them wakes up every night, sometimes multiple times a night. Sooooo, I have slept upstairs ever since I moved them up here; on the floor next to their bed, on the bed with them, on the couch in the schoolroom . . . What a transition this has been.

I think a baby monitor might do the trick, but wouldn't you know, I just got rid of the one we've had for 9 years this summer . . . grrrrr.

And, I'm cheap.

So, I don't want to spend money on a new one . . .

Buuuuut, I am desperate to sleep a full night with my husband again, and he keeps telling me he misses me :-(

Darn it! I need to bite the bullet and get a stinkin' monitor!!!

This has been a not-so-delightful transition.

Anyway, here's to change and wonderful family!!!!

It's a Snap!

G knows how to snap!

Tonight, while sitting with Daddy, G put her fingers together and snapped! She’s not even two yet and her tiny fingers did the trick. She’s been watching C do this for a looooong time and tried and tried to copy. Recently, she started making the clicking sound with her mouth while she moved her arms around as if she was snapping away. It was so cute.

Well, tonight she figured it out and we were thrilled for her. And, thanks to C, she had an excellent teacher!

"What is love?" he asks.

The kids are having lunch. I am in the kitchen cleaning up and getting my coffee. This is the conversation I hear the boys having:

E: Uh, Sir. What is love?
M: Huh?
E. This is a silly question. What is love? (in kind of a play adult voice)(I am thinking, "that is NOT a silly question!! Many adults don't know what love is!)
M: Love isssss . . . when you are nice to people.
E. So, if I am nice to God, then I will go to heaven?
M: nooo. You have to believe in Jesus.
E: Oh, then you can go to heaven? (He is now acting like someone other than himself, almost as if to test M)
M: Well, you also have to . . . ( at this point I am so having to control myself not to add my two cents . . the truth I know in case they get it wrong. I hold my tongue so I can see IF THEY know the truth!!! How wonderful that they are talking through the most vital topic ever!!!) kind of work for Him. You need to do good things.
E: Like what?
M: You need to help people. And go to church.
E: OK. That . . .
M: Oh!! And you need to pray! And you need to read your Bible!!!
E: What is that?
M: It's a book about God and you learn about Jesus.

At this point I had to go and tend to the girls. They kept talking and I heard E get sillier and sillier and they laughed and had a good time. I told them that I was so glad they were talking about this.

So precious are these children to me. Thank You Lord, for letting me be their mommy. I am truly so privileged.

***

While salvation is not dependent on works, it IS ALL ABOUT JESUS, and I believe they get that. They know that no matter what you do, unless you believe and follow Jesus, it's all for naught.

Weaner's Remorse

Buyer's Remorse.

Seller's Remorse.

Both are very familiar.

Weaner's Remorse. What?!?

I am coining a new term because Weaner's Remorse is what I have right now.

Actually, not at this very moment as I sit in C's bed with C and G on either side of me sleeping so soundly, but, I have been having it in droves of late. On Nov. 2nd, in the middle of the day, I decided it was time to wean G from breastfeeding . . . and I was overcome with Weaner's Remorse!

We had gone to the nursing home to minister to those precious, old souls when G kept asking for baba's. It was during the message, so it wasn't taking me away from the residents there, but as she laid there playing and not really eating, I realized it was time. G is 22 months old, I think we've had a great run, but, it's now time to move on. There is a point when a mommy just knows that it's time to wean. It happened also with C and M. I just knew we were both ready and/or needing to move on.

We came home and she asked for baba's again, and I tried to destract her, hold her, feed her . . . a slew of things. And, this is when I realized there is a very strong correlation between drug withdrawals and breastfeeding withdrawals.

G got to the point of absolute panic. She was crying then screaming, she was shaking and snot was coming down her nose. She was sweating and kicking and when I would hold her she would kick and scream and pull at my shirt. I tried holding and dancing with her. I tried rubbing her back, singing to her, playing with her. She was absolutely inconsolable. I felt so bad, but I really believe that it was our time to stop. The kids were asking me to please feed her, but I had made my decision.

Talk about weaner's remorse!!!! I had it through and through and boy did I question myself!

She finally tired herself out and I rocked her and rocked her. I sang to her the Ford version of Mockingbird through tears and heartache, and I looked up to see Martini and Ethan just staring at us and mesmerized, completely distracted from their schoolwork. When I stopped singing, they said, "Mommy! I like that song." And, I got to tell them how I used to sing it to them when they were so little. Again, more tears at those memories.

Now, this was not just a rash decision that day. I had been pondering weaning her for about two months, but I just couldn't. I loved nursing her and our time together was so precious. At night, which was my favorite time to nurse, she would lay in bed and just giggle and say, "Mommy! Baba's!" and just hug me and enjoy it so much. But, she would nurse almost the entire night. I noticed a cavity in one of her front teeth and this is something we have struggled with all the children. Doctors definitely don't recommend nursing through the night because of deterioration, but I have always been partial to cosleeping and night-nursing. Also, in the daytime, she was starting to want baba's all the time and not really eat, but just pacify herself. It was getting quite difficult with homeschooling and such and I realized also she would "snack" on baba's and not eat enough food.

Back to Nov 2nd. That night, I told MyLove my decision while kind of seeing if what I said was rational. He told me that he was on board with whatever I decided. I fully intended it to be the end, but that night, she was desperate and so giggly and happy to have baba's and I was too tired to resist. So, my sweet G got her baba's and I got sleep!

Fastforward to Nov. 5th. MyLove surprised me with a wonderful birthday karaoke party that lasted 'til 3AM, so with the urging and encouraging of Mema, G spent her first night away from me and without baba's. I cried. I felt sad. I felt guilty.

Weaner's remorse . . .

Tonight is now the 3rd night at home that she has not had baba's. The last time she nursed was early, early on the morning of my birthday. I still have weaner's remorse in that I do miss our sweet time together. I miss putting her to sleep in such a precious, trusting way.

The past two nights I have had to rock her and console her to sleep. With the others, I would push them around the house in the umbrella stroller. G loathes it for some reason. Something sweet has come of this though. Each night I hold her she falls asleep on my chest after some crying and confusion of what she really wants. She wakes up wanting baba's but I just tell her, "Mama's here. Mama's here." and I rub her back or rock her again and lay her down. It's really been sweet because our bonding time hasn't gone away. We are just bonding now in a different way. Whenever she is tired, she buries her head in my skin or my shirt and just smells me and wants to be close to me. It just tugs at my heart so much

So, my weaner's remorse is slowing waning because we are still able to bond.

My sweet G, one thing I regret so deeply is I never captured on video your excitement before going to bed with the baba's. So sweet. So innocent. I love you!!!!

I want to remember this: while getting ready to take you to Mema's, you grabbed my bra and brought it to me saying, "Mommy. Baba's. Pleeeease." and I so wish I had nursed you one last time, but instead I felt like I shouldn't do it since I had started weaning during the day. So, we finished getting ready and got in the van. I am crying as I write this even. Your voice was so sweet and hopeful . . . Boy, I just feel so terrible. What was the big deal? I could have nursed you one last time. I could have enjoyed the time and sat there and let you have your "security blanket!"

Weaner's remorse . . . Oh, so deeply . . . It's such a difficult thing.

My Nephew, David

This morning we had a great session of FaceTime with David in Guam. The kids squealed and giggled when they saw their cousin answer the FT call.

We watched him wash some dishes, then he walked to his bedroom and the kids thought that was cool.

He showed us his new bed, desk and chair he just bought.



And we got to just spend some special moments talking and being silly on FT.

E - you were doing some serious dance moves . . . with no music.

C - you made faces with your mane of hair strongly resembling that of a lion ^.^

M - you told David all your many ideas and desires for a new movie for David to make including: guns, explosions, bombs, blood, sounds . . . O.O

G - you kept showing your cousin the silly puddy egg and saying "Vee Tells" for "Veggie Tales." That is your favorite phrase/word right now. As a matter of fact, you say it to just about anyone to convey your excitement for the video with all the songs.


(David made this minutes after our FT session in Photoshop. C's reaction: Great job, David! You're awesome!)

Anyway, David's appreciation for his new bed, desk and chair were so refreshing. How we take for granted these wonderful pleasures. David kept rolling around in his new chair getting things to show us or turning off his fan. The kids loved watching him.

David, at one point, said, "I see something behind E that I really want."
Me: What?
D: It's behind E.
Me: The pack of toilet paper?
D: That too, but no, it's orange. By the chair.
Me: Ooooh!

It was a Whataburger cup we inherited from Papa! We get them for bath time. There is something about Whataburger that Papa, David, Haven, E and M just love. I am not such a fan. As for them? They looooove the place. And the funny thing is, I have met others with the same love for the place!



David, I miss you. I love you. I am proud of you. And, I am so blessed that we can have some FaceTime even though you are halfway around the world!!!!! I wish I could send you a load of Whataburger, toilet paper and whatever else you need.



But, please let me know if there is anything you would like that I can send you . . . that is the size of a ping-pong ball . . . just kidding! I mean the size of an apple. A small apple. Ok. Ok. I'm just kidding. Anything, just let me know. I love you!!!


David shares my affinity for our Mac's. This is how he feels when certain individuals mess around with his Mac and try to take/destroy it:


And . . .


Dear Nephew . . . I understand.

*** David has his own YouTube channel where he does short films and has a vlog. It's fun and entertaining and he even has one that's a tearjerker (for me especially since it's my neice).

Here's the channel: Disbrow819
Tearjerker: Such a (Lonely Day)
Short Film: Milk Run
Scary Running Scene: Run Haven
This kids' favorite, especially at 1:46, they always crack up and the bloopers at the end: The Mind of Me

C's Cloak

For a couple years, C has asked me to make her a cloak of her own. I have resisted because of the time it takes. But, one Saturday, about a month ago, we had a break in go-here, go-there craziness and I felt ambitious. So, I made her one. I let her choose the fabric from what I had and here it is.



She immediately put it on, lifted her shirt and started to "feed" her baby. She would talk to her baby and say things like, "you want baba's?" and, "there you go, Sweetie." I loved it. I had to get a few pics.

Papa's Pause

FaceTime. It's a beautiful thing!

For school, we have recently begun having a weekly lesson time with my dad called Papa's Pause.

On Wednesday mornings, we FT Papa and the kids listen as he tells them a Bible story and does a little quiz at the end. He tells them a scripture to read/think about/memorize and then we giggle and laugh and the kids just enjoy being on camera!

Papa's lessons have so far been: Gideon and the Mideanites, Esther Parts 1, 2 and 3. And today we started a series on Joseph.

The kids and I just love it. They get to see Papa (and Mema sometimes) and my dad gets to share his wisdom with his grandkids and teach them the most important lessons of all: those from the Word! What joy!

There have already been reschedulings and postponings, but, that's the flexibility and ease and fun of this thing called FaceTime.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us such lavish gifts allowing us to benefit from such luxeries, i.e. our computers, the internet, and FaceTime. We are so blessed! Thank You! Oh, how I love You, Lord!!!

Thank you, Dad, for taking the time out to bless and teach our children such valuable lessons. These will be such precious memories for them. I love you!!!!

Steve Jobs, Apple Genius

Today, the Apple Genius, Steve Jobs, died; presumably from his bout with pancreatic cancer and issues stemming from his liver. He was only 56 years old. His health declined quickly this year. Only about a month and a half ago he resigned as CEO to Tim Cook. Yesterday, they rolled out the new iPhone 4s with Siri, the robot lady inside the phone who helps make life easier.



Well, I have taken the opportunity various times on this blog to espouse my feelings for Apple products. We daily, hourly, sometimes constantly benefit from Apple products:

iMac: our home computer used for everything from paying bills, pictures, videos, internet, blogging, calendar, school, FaceTime. . .
iPhone: phonecalls, music, email, calendar, reminders, notes, books, game, videos . . .
MyLove's iPhone: all the above plus stocks and news updates, FaceTime
Macbook Pro: school, FaceTime, internet . . .



We use our products so much and they have helped me be much more organized. We have captured moments we normally would not have been able to. What a blessing Steve Jobs has been, or at least his many innovations have been, to our family.

I don't believe that Steve Jobs was a Christian, so it pains my heart to think of what he accomplished here on earth . . . but for what? He changed the world's technologies and his legacy will be longlasting. But, what of his soul? None of his accomplishments mean anything to him now.

We have nothing if we don't have a hope for eternity.

Death is so near for all of us. It's so easy to get caught up in the mundane and dailiness and forget how fleeting this life really is.

We are here, and in an instant, we are gone.

Jesus Christ.

He is our only hope.

He created the real apple, a much, much greater feat!

He created all things . . . humans, souls, aluminum, electricity . . .

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?"
-Mark 8:36 NKJV

E and Gravity

E: Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

Me: YES!!!!

E: The reason why it is so hard to do a handstand (he says all the while trying over and over to do so) is because gravity keeps pulling you down and it's hard to get your feet high in the air.

Me: That is right, E!!!

He cracks me up :-)

Gift from Papa

So, we have been looking at getting another computer for homeschooling and have been doing research on different Apple options. As mentioned before, we have become Apple diehards, so we knew it was between another iMac or a Macbook of some sort.

After some consideration, we decided on a laptop because we figured the portability and convenience is the essence of the benefits of homeschooling and virtual schooling. We looked at the Apple store online, refurbished Apples and used Apples. Refurbished looked like our best option.

I called my dad, the Apple genius, and asked him his opinion, and he gave us some great ideas.

Theeeeeeen, on August 25th, my dad called and told me he was at our house. I was at the 1/2 Price Book Store, so I wasn't there to receive him. . . Oh, no! Is something wrong? Dad had just had surgery to remove a tumor from his chin. Was he coming over to tell me there was cancer found? My heart sank. I asked him if everything was OK and he said, "Yes. I was just coming over to talk about something." He was being vague, and a cool, uncomfortable feeling rushed to my belly. I felt like I was going to vomit.

I told him we would come home right after we were done with our errand and he said he would try to come over again in a couple of hours. The whole time, my heart pounded. I took the kids to Barnes & Noble to get M free birthday cookie (as I had promised), looked at the kids books (trying to stay calm and walk off the anxiety).

Then we made our way home. I called Dad to tell him we were on our way. He came to our house soon after we arrived and there was the usual, "Papa!!!" squeals from the kids. He gave them some goodies: Pez candy dispensers and Hello Kitty place settings for the girls. I waited to get down to the nitty gritty of what was really going on. Was his tumor benign, malignant? What?!?

Theeeeeeeen . . .

Dad: "Sweetie, I am just so proud of you for homeschooling the grandkids and working so hard. I know you all are needing another computer, so I wanted to give this to you."

He grabs his laptop case and pulls out his very own MacBook Pro!!!!!!!

Me: "What?!?! What is this?"

I am absolutely floored. I start crying and hugging my dear Dad and am just stunned.

If ever I wanted someone else's laptop, of course it would be my Dad's! He bought it to his very specifications and desires!!!

Stats:
MacBook Pro 15 inch
Mac OS X
Processor: 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 8 GB!!!! (What?????)



Thank you, Dad!!! MyLove and I are so blessed by your gift. The kids just love having their "MacBook" for their school work and its portability is exactly what were hoping for. We are humbled by your generosity.

I looooooooooove youuuuuu, Dad!!!!!

Here, C, of her own doing, took out both sets of plates, bowls and cups, brought the chair to the sink and washed them, dried them, then took them to the high cabinets and standing on the counters put them away!!!! She is a force to reckon with!

Time with our dear Nephews and Neices

This last summer we have really focused on spending one-on-one time with each of my nephews and nieces because they were moving to Guam. during this time, we enjoyed laughter, fun, tears, bonding, sharing and loving. It was so very special.

Well, all of this bonding really put some pain in MyLove's and my heart because for the last three summers, we have tried having our dear Sv and Sp over but for one reason or another, it has never worked out . . . until last weekend!!!!

We finally had them over, and oh, how special it was. They are the last of all our nephews and nieces that have come to our house to spend the night and have a good time just bonding.

SE played so lovingly and tirelessly with our little ones. We had movie time and ate popcorn and snacks. They used their imaginations in the most creative ways playing with all sorts of things. We played Pictionary and, as SE put it, they got all their "crazies" out by dancing their hearts out. Songs she provided on her iPod: I Love Rock and Roll, and We Will Rock You, and more . . . Oh, so precious.

SR was just a breath of fresh air. He is mature beyond his years at only 16. We had invigorating conversation about Jesus Christ, the Bible, his catholic beliefs and our beliefs. We lovingly exchanged what we have learned and how the Lord continues to mold and teach us. He was not defensive in the least, and instead shared what he had learned and openly admitted when he didn't know the answer. Oh, how it brings tears to my eyes. His humility just touched our hearts and we are oh, so grateful for his candor and gentleness.


We praise You, Lord, for such a wonderful weekend!!!! We love our nephews and nieces so much. What a blessing.

We definitely look forward to more weekends with them!

Conversations with My Little Helper

It's Monday late afternoon and C and I are folding a bunch of the kids' clothes . . .

Me: "How was church on Sunday?"

C: "Good."

Me: "Did you see any friends?"

C: "I saw a boy that I liked who didn't talk to me or anything. He was sitting waaaaaaaay, way, way on the other side of the table. I was thinking he's cute because he had glasses. I can say that because we are teammates. We were on the same team. I said, 'he's cute!' Well. Actually. I didn't say it. I thinked it in my mind."

Me: "Oh! Ok." (I say while thinking, I've never heard her talk about someone she 'liked!' This is new!) "What was his name?"

C: "I don't know. He didn't talk to me. He probly didn't see me."

Me: "He probably saw you, Sweetheart."

C: "Yeah. He probly was just shy too! Like me!"

Me: "Yes! Good point! I bet so. Thank you for helping me fold clothes."

C: "Sure! I don't want you to feel left out."

When she said this, my heart just squeezed with some pain thinking how shy she is in public, and I wonder if she feels left out some times. I don't know how she even knows that phrase. Maybe we've used it with the kids when they play? Probably.

Anyway, our interactions are so precious to me.

My Mom's Victory

Around 35 years ago, my mom tried her first cigarette. After that, she hasn't stopped. When she was pregnant with my siblings and I, she said she had no desire to smoke, so she never smoked while she was pregnant, but afterward, she always started again.

Fastforward 35 years and here we are. It's mid June and my dear mom is watching our kids while we are on our anniversary weekend getaway. She is sitting with the kids on her bed watching a movie when they start asking Mema if she had quit smoking yet (they, along with their cousins, Papa, and other family have been praying for her for years), and she said it is just so hard. She asked the kids to keep praying and to pray that God will help her want to quit. Our precious C, her very namesake, responded with, "Well, let's pray right now!" and she proceeded to pray for her Mema the way innocent and perfectly believing children can.

Something in Mema was triggered and she knew. She had promised my Dad that if her little M, then E, then C specifically asked her to stop smoking, that she would. Well, years kept going by and they did, but it is a habit far harder to quit than just with will alone.

Early July, Mom developes terrible bronchitis. She can't even go up or down the stairs. Walking to the bathroom is so hard she has to stop and try to breathe with all her might. She is using a nebulizer, Advair, anibiotics . . . I come over with the kids to spend the night at her house along with my sister and her children who are living with her before their move to Guam. Mom is in desperate straights. She, at one point, is laying over the bed struggling so hard to breathe, wheezing, coughing. She later tells us at one point she felt like someone had their hands around her neck and was choking her.

We go to the doctor and through a series of appts this is what she is diagnosed with:
Emphazema
COPD
various spots on her lungs

But, this is how wonderful the Lord is.

My mom had her last cigarette in early July when she got sick.
She got an MRI and CAT scans of her lungs and found out the spots were benign!!!!
She went to the pulmonologist and he basically told her there was a lot of mucous and but otherwise she is doing great!!!!

This was only a month or month and a half after quitting. This was such an amazing result, it was almost unbelievable. Emphazema: gone
COPD: gone
Wheezing and coughing: gone!!!!!

After all these years my mom has QUIT SMOKING!!! At one point, she went to bingo and told a friend that she is trying to quit smoking. The dear old lady told my mom, "No! you don't say that you are trying to quit smoking. You tell everyone you have quit smoking!" And that is what she says now, with confidence!

And now, she is going almost two months strong and we are all cheering her along. How proud of her we are.

I just don't know what I would do without my precious mom. She is pillar of Love for our entire family! All of her 13 grandkids just adore her. We praise the Lord so much for His helping her. My mom, for some reason, says that the moment C prayed for her right there on the spot, something powerful happened and she knew it was her time.

What a blessing and what an answer to years of prayers. Especially for my dad, who has been praying for her since the beginning of their relationship 33 years ago!!!

We love you, Mom!!!

First Day of the 2011-2012 School Year

We're off!!! I am so excited about this school year and I can't believe it's already started.

M: 4th grade
E: 1st and 2nd grade
C: Pre-K (kind of, tag-along learner mostly)
G: Our cheerleader and mascot ^.^

We started off later than hoped for, but that's OK. It was still peaceful and easy-going.

The girls and I made our way upstairs to wake up the boys, and although had excitement in my voice, they were not feelin' it. They told me that they weren't excited and didn't want to start school. I encouraged them to brighten up or else they surely wouldn't enjoy themselves. Plus, today is actually M's 9th birthday!!!! We celebrated this last weekend. I will have to post pics later.

We prayed together and had a hardy breakfast then had an online meeting with nearly 330 other people with K12.

Afterward, we said our books of the Bible, sang "Onward Christian Soldier"* and then read about Cain and Abel.

Theeeeen, it was first day picture time, and well, the results just weren't the greatest, but, I guess that's how it goes with wee ones.

Some coloring and reading, and that was our day! Very simple and not too much. I'm trying to ease into things and show the kids we can work well together. Be a team. Enjoy the process. My greatest need and prayer is for my patience. I want to have it and be an example for my kids. I don't want to expect perfection and I don't want to get down on them when they make mistakes, especially character/attitude wrongs. I want them to know that I am safe and that I love them more than anyone else could ever love them.

Well, here are some pics from today ^.^

Fun with FaceTime/FaceTime Fanatic/Fantastic FaceTime

Ok, there are few things that I am completely and utterly gung-ho, excited, unashamed and motivated to talk about:

1.) Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. I am completely lost without Him and completely deserving of hell. Hallelujah for true salvation!

2.) My soulmate, who is my husband

3.) My children

Now, beside these three, I have something else in my life that I have grown to really appreciate, enjoy, and benefit from:

Apple products!

About two years ago, MyLove surprised me with an iMac for Christmas. It was so unexpected because I didn't think we had the money, and on top of that, I had been trying to convince MyLove of the superior quality of Mac's over other pc's to no avail. I grew up with my father using Mac's back when they were called Macintoshes. My dad actually bought one of the first ever Macintoshes and saw their superior operating systems from the start.

Ok, then I got an iPhone a few months later because of my renewal and couldn't believe the seamless interaction between the two apple products.

My iMac does not crash on me. I don't get blue screens. I have had incredible updates and no worries of viruses. And, on top of that . . . we are able to do FaceTime!!!!!



We can FaceTime from my iMac to MyLove's iPhone 4, to my dad's Apple stuff (when we FT him, his iMac, iPad2, iPhone, and Macbook all ring!), and to my father-in-law who has an iPad2. And . . . we can FT with my dear sister and nephews and nieces in Guam! When they moved, we were able to sing happy birthday to my youngest nephew and even light a cake for him to see. It was so special and emotional.

It's incredible and the kids loooooove it.

We are thinking about incorporating FT into our homeschooling!!! The possibilities are truly endless. I will update on how we utilize it . . .

6 PM Zonkers

Well, it's only 6PM and this is what my household looks like.

Each of my precious children and my worn out, wonderful hubby are zonked out. Poor things.

The flu stiiiiiiiinks!!!!

But, the Lord lifts my weary soul with the sound of rain outside our windows. How I love rain. And, if we have to be sick, it is so nice to have the sound of rain to listen to.

Jesus, you are the lover of my soul!
Jesus, I will never let you go...
I love you. I need You.
Though my world may fall, I'll never let You go.
My Saviour, my closest friend.
I will worship you until the very end.

- Hillsong

Flu Duty

What a week we've had.

Warning: This post is gross. Just plain yucky. Don't read if easily queasy.

We are all down with the flu and my poor children have it baaad. There has been a steady flow of vomit and diarrhea. We have had to clean up vomit numerous times on carpet, bedding and tile (not to mention the constant dumping and rinsing of their vomit buckets). The first was a literal dumping of vomit from our poor E who was practically sleep walking and had no idea what was going on.

MyLove helped him to the toilet to finish and get in the tub. I rushed to start on the carpet.

My initial reaction there at 11:30 PM was to look at MyLove while trying to scoop up the vomit as fast as I could and say with all seriousness, "Here it is, Babe. Our impetus to rip this carpet up!!! Finally! We can get rid of it! Let's do it now!"

Buuuut, with a practical, hardworking, and smart hubby like mine, he pulled me back in to reality and said, "Babe, yes, we're going to do that, but we need to clean this up now."

Waaaaaaah, waaaaah! I want wood floors noooow! (I screamed in my head)

"I don't mind concrete floors!"

"Honey, this is not the time."

"But, Honey! This is going to be impossible! It's too much. It's going to be smelly and disgusting FOREVER!"

"Let's look online."

Aaaaaand, that's when we found this site. It took us a good 2 hours to get poor E back to bed and to clean up the carpet. This site is sooooooo helpful. I have no idea who this guy is, but his method definitely worked. The stench of the vomit was all over our room and by the time we had finished cleaning, before the baking soda step, you couldn't smell it anymore and the carpet looked like new.

Here is the site:

How to Clean Things

This guy is so funny with how he refers to vomit and the whole process of cleaning it. I think he would have passed out had he been in our home the last five days.

Here are a few excerpts:

"Shower the vomit with love. Once you're all done gagging and puking from the previous step, you will have to continue to remove vomit. Sorry. This step is noticeably less disgusting than the last. Get a spray bottle, fill it with cold water (or, better yet, club soda), and spritz down the vomit goo. Now, take a white towel and start blotting and dabbing the puke. Spray with water and dab with the towel repeatedly until the puke is up.

Clean puke with your very own vomit cleaner. Grab a mixing bowl, pour 2 cups of warm (not hot) water in it, and stir in 1 tbsp of table salt. Once the salt is dissolved, mix in ½ cup of white vinegar, 1 tbsp clear dish or laundry detergent, and 2 tbsp rubbing alcohol. This isn't an exact science, so just estimate. Now grab a clean kitchen sponge, dip it in your vomit cleaner, and press it into the vomit. Do this several times so there is cleaner all over the stain. Grab a new old towel and blot just like before. This will be repeated, also like before, as often as necessary until no more vomit is being transferred to the towel. Each time you blot with the towel, you will be removing vomit. Have an extra towel or two on hand.

Rinse away the sins. Alright, we're getting there. Now it's time to really see how your vomit carpet turned out. Grab a glass measuring cup, fill it with warm water, and flood the area of the stain with it. Using yet more clean/dry towels, blot up the water. It works best to set the towel down and walk around on it. Rinsing is important because you want to make sure to get the detergent out of the carpet. Detergent has a tendency to attract dirt. You probably don't want that. Do this twice and see how it looks. If you're satisfied, go to the last step. If not, march on to the next one."

Thank you, Mr. Eric Ronning, for helping MyLove and me clean up some serious vomit!!!

"Bam-Bam! Hit the Clock!"

E has a saying that I have to get down before I forget. We have no idea where he got it or how he came up with it. He doesn't even know!

"Bam-Bam! Hit the Clock!"
Definition: awesome! So good!
Use in a sentence: Mommy! This tofu is so good! It's bam-bam hit the clock!!!!
Use #2: Bam-Bam! Hit the Clock!!! I love this snowcone!!!


It's so funny because even M and C have started saying it!

Baby Dolls, Tain Too

G just loooooooves that baby doll. I don't know for sure but I think she has loved on this baby earlier than I have ever seen a child do so. I mean. She just squeals when she sees her in the morning or after coming home from being out. It is adorable then she will give her to daddy to play with and MyLove so lovingly obliges. It's hilarious seeing him play with the doll like she's real.

G has just been talking up a storm. It is beautiful to hear her voice and her personality coming out so much. She now says "tain too" whenever she is given something like her baby doll, food or anything. She'll also say it when she hands you something!

Our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary

Packing our bags. Boarding the plane. Layover in London. Landing in Rome. Unloading and visiting the first hotel we stayed in on our honeymoon in Rome. Sipping cappuccinos and enjoying gelato together while reminiscing and talking the time away. Taking jaunts to France and Spain with our Eurail pass. . .

That is what we were supposed to do on our 10 year anniversary . . .

As we have planned and dreamed to do since our fifth wedding anniversary . . .

Lo, and behold, our 10th came and we have four little babes, the youngest only 17 months . . .

How could I leave her? She is not even weaned yet !!!!!

How could we leave all the kids?

They can barely stand two nights?!?!

That is when all praise and glory goes to the Lord for giving me my soulmate, because it doesn't matter what we do, we just love being together.

Sooooo, we planned a grand, 10 year anniversary, two-night stay at . . .

The Hotel Derek in the Galleria!!!! Only 30 minutes away :o)

We dropped all four kids off for a date at the shooting range, something we have been enjoying for some time now and where we can quench our enjoyment of competition by seeing who's targets had the best clusters.




We then went to dinner then picked up G and headed to our hotel: Hotel Derek. Beautiful hotel. Clean. We were given a room on the fifth floor. We told the concierge the occasion and we got the 15th floor with an incredible view!!!

Downtown Houston


Houston Medical Center



G absolutely loved it and kept running around and made herself right at home.








This sink was awesome. I really want this sink. It was shallow, square-ish, spacious . . . It was perfect for bathing my little one and didn't take forever cleaning it out before hand. She loved it. It was wonderful also because I didn't have to bend over.






MyLove and I had so much fun looking for good places to eat,

(This is his "Oooooh, this is gooooood," face at Carrabba's :-)



. . . renting a RedBox movie and watching it on his laptop, getting ice cream and staying up late talking, swimming in the freezing cold pool, and just hanging out. What bliss! And, when going from four children to one, it's wonderful! We got to spend some one-on-one time bonding with G and she was such a doll. One might not think it is optimal for an anniversary trip, but I tell you, it was beautiful.



I remember going from no children to having one . . . it was one of the hardest transitions ever. I truly thought we were sooo busy with no time to spare. Then we had more children and realized that having one can be so non-demanding. Now, I realize that we have grown and learned a myriad of things as parents, but it's fun to appreciate those non-demanding times! -.O



Thank You, Lord, for my soulmate. Thank you for blessing us with 10 years of marriage. Please bless us with many more. And may we be a solid team of ambassadors for Jesus Christ!

-Amen