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!
Friday, June 20, 2008
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?!
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