I Love Sundays

Another long, but full and fun Sunday. We headed off to church this morning like usual. Thankfully my sinus medication kicked in around the time we arrived at church and I wasn't too bad off the rest of the day. The message was great, again. :) We were in Ephesians 2 which talks about God's saving grace and how no man (or woman, for that matter) has grounds to boast about salvation or the good works that stem from it....its all God. Even our response to His call is not of ourselves because He was the one initiating it all along. Peter brought up a good point. He said that those who are not believers sin out of ignorance of God's requirements. But for those who are aware of what God desires and also what He calls sin, when we sin, we do it with a high hand, or basically a fist in God's face. Wow...I'd never thought about it that way.

I was able to serve with our little children today. Our church is still small and so all the children ages 0-4 share half of a room. There are a few pictures in the slideshow below of some of the children. You may notice a picture of Bekah playing with Mr. Victor. Bekah always asks him "Where's your hair???" She's pretty forward that way. This afternoon our fellowship held a baptism and I was sorry I was not able to attend. One of our high school girls got baptized and I would have loved to have witnessed that.

After church we came home and had lunch. Then Dad stopped by to deliver Jose's birthday present and visit for a while. And what a fabulous present it is!! New golf clubs!!! Jose was so excited that a couple hours ago he went back to the driving range. I think he'll become a regular now. You're the best, Dad!

In the later afternoon Jose's sister, Monica, came over with her family. We love them so much and don't get to see them nearly enough. They live in the high desert and with all of our busy lives, our visits aren't often enough. We all went to our family favorite...pho. Leti and Angie joined us and we even had our favorite waiter, Coongh. We moved on to ice cream for dessert next door and then had to end our visit with Monica and her family. Leti and Angie came back to the house to visit while Jose went to the driving range. We had good coversation and a good time figuring stuff out on our blog templates.

We're so blessed with our families. Life isn't always peaches n cream and sometimes the grass does seem greener on the other side, but when it comes to family and friends, we couldn't ask for better.

1st MOPS Meeting

I have a couple of spare minutes so I thought I'd share about the first official MOPS (Mothers of Pre - Schoolers) meeting I attended on Thursday. First of all, everything was beautiful. The tables are set up with pretty tablecloths and centerpieces, little goody bags for each mom, and a nametag indicating where to sit which I love since I don't know anybody there at all. :) There was a large banquet of food in the middle of the room which looked so inviting. Once we began we met the other ladies at our table and chowed down! From what I understand, there will be this wonderful breakfast for every meeting! They moved on to some announcements and even handed out little presents for first-year members as well as little presents to moms with a birthday or wedding anniversary in the month of September. And also presents to moms who have just had new babies (apparently this is a very giving group of women). I enjoyed what the speaker had to say. Her topic was on the importance of female companionship. She asked us if we ever babysat for our friends, if we've ever taken a meal to another family when the mom was ill or had just had a baby, etc., if we rearrange the car seats to fit children other than our own, and other questions about the kind of friends we are to other moms. As she made her point about the things we can do to be there for one another, she moved on to a much more difficult question. Can we (I) receive this kind of friendship? Wow...that is humbling. Seriously, who wants their friends to come into their home to clean? Who wants their friends to come take the kids away for a few hours when you're tired and overwhelmed and at your wit's end, admitting you can't be "Supermom" all the time? Not me!!! It is more blessed to give than to receive, yet so many times it is easier to give than receive. Friendship goes two ways and her point was that we need to be humble and willing to receive when its our turn. It was pretty enlightening for me, but definitely made me so grateful for the wonderful friends I've been blessed with.

Fore!!!

This evening Jose and Joser took Angel and Annie to the driving range. Golfing is Jose's newest favorite pastime (not that he has much time to pass with his studies and all :) ). Annie has been wanting to go with him and tonight she finally got to.

3 Years Old

Happy Birthday to our little friend, Julianna Gonzalez.
She's such a cutie pie!

Celebration

Well today we had lots of fun. We had a lazy morning and then off to Auntie Leti's house to enjoy a lunch she made in honor of Jose's birthday. She made one of his favorite authentic Mexican dishes, Chile Verde along with her famous Spanish rice to which no other compares. We enjoyed good conversation and also set up a blog for Leti! :) Can't wait to start reading it!

Then off to the fair we went (thanks to my mom's good friends, Tina and Gerry, who passed on free tickets to us). We had fun and did mostly kid stuff like the petting zoos and Daddy won the girls stuffed animals. Then Annie cried the whole way to the car because we didn't buy a $7.00 balloon. Sorry kiddo, but even if we were rich I don't think we'd make that purchase just out of sheer principle.

We drove to Anaheim while the girls slept and ate dinner at our favorite BBQ joint, Chris N Pitts. When we got back into town we stopped off to get the girls .79 cent balloons at Party City (a much better deal) and headed home.

All in all it was a good day, except my allergies...they're killin' me!!! They have gotten progressively worse over the last few years and have even developed into skin allergies. So I feel and look a mess, BUT! there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me. Next Friday I'm scheduled for a scratch test with the allergist. Bring on the needles cause I am soooo done with this hindrance. I hate feeling this way because I know I get extra cranky and short with my family. Alright, enough complaining for one evening.

Happy Birthday Jose!!

My husband is 31 years old today! We're so thankful we have him and we're looking forward to celebrating him today. I'll post some pictures later.

"Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God." - Psalm 42:11

Last night I layed awake just feeling sad. I had attended the viewing/rosary service for an extended family member, Jessie. I honestly didn't know her well and would see her once every several years at a family gathering. I always remember her to have been smiling and laughing and chewing gum. Even though I wasn't close to her or really even to her husband and children, I was still grieved for them. Just a couple hours earlier I learned that Paula, a beautiful and sweet lady from church also passed away on Saturday night. She, like Jessie, had fought a hard battle of cancer.

There is a sense of jealousy, on my part, of those who get to be with Jesus now. I'm sure they would not want to be brought back to their earthly lives if that were even possible. I mean, what could compare with seeing God face to face and living in a state of no pain, sadness, dissappointment, or evil? But the grief of those left behind is too much. As my husband had pointed out when my Aunt Terry passed away 2 1/2 years ago, death was not part of the plan. When God first created man, we were to live forever. It was sin that brought death and because of that, we are made to endure that grief. That is why death is so horrible to endure. We weren't intended to deal with that grief. Thank God for the hope He's given us...if we will just love Him with our hearts, minds, strength, and souls and believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have the hope of eternal life. We will be re-united with our loved ones who also loved Him on earth.

Five Simple Rules

Today the girls and I made a poster for their bedroom containing five simple rules for our home. I've been wanting to do this for some time and finally got to it today. The rules are as follows: 1) Be kind to others 2) Obey Daddy and Mommy, and all other adults 3) Always use your manners including "please", "thank you", "excuse me", "no thank you", "hi", and "good-bye" 4) Don't use rude words or a rude sounding voice" and 5) Include everyone. I also included a Scripture at the bottom of each rule so they know that these are all characteristics the Lord wants to see in their lives. They were excited to sign and date their first official contract. :) Let's see how excited they are when I have a tangible document to point to in remembrance of actual rules!

I'm hoping this helps them along a little. Right now (as we have been for some time) we deal with two main issues with one of the girls...friendliness (or lack thereof) and fits, some that none can compare to!

Hold You, Mommy

On this perfectly cool and cozy morning I was able to go to Leti's house to enjoy coffee and company. She surprised me with a new devotional book called "Hold You, Mommy". Both of my girls as 1 and 2 years olds would always say "hold you" went they wanted me to do just that. My mom says I used to say the very same thing. So the title alone is super sweet. Anyway, as I was sitting in the parking lot to pick up Annie, I began reading it and already love it so much! I just have to post the song lyrics in the beginning of the book because it is too special not to share. Enjoy!!

My heart is filled with joy as I hold you in my arms.
Knowing all you want and all you need is truly found in me.
God's precious gift of love is all wrapped up in you.
I want to raise you up to love the Lord the way He wants me to.
I'll cherish each and every time I hold you in my arms.
Oh I know the days are passing much too fast.
But when this time has come and gone I'll hold the memory
Of your little arms extended up to me, saying...

Hold you, Mommy. Hold you, Mommy.
Safe within your arms of love is where I long to be.
Hold you, Mommy. Oh hold you, Mommy
Just like the Father up above, surround me with Your perfect love again

When you fall and skin your knee and come running back to me
I want to be the one to wipe your tears, kiss your hurts, calm your fears.
When you wake up in the night and cry out in the dark
I want to hold you close, whisper in your ear, "Everything will be alright."
I know there'll come a time when I won't hold you in my arms.
You won't need my hugs or want them anymore.
But how I want my arms to always be a refuge in your eyes
No matter where you roam or the changes in your life.

When Will I Learn???

For the last few months I've wanted to cut bangs to my eyebrows, and have them kind of swish to the side (no pixie bangs). Because I am an impatient person, I didn't feel like waiting any longer for a time slot to go alone, and make the drive to where I know they'll do it right. Now Annie told me flat out that I shouldn't cut bangs and it won't look good. So, ignoring my 4-year old's wisdom, I took my girls to a less than professional haircut shop, watched as the girl cut my bangs far too short and uneven, and proceeded to thin them out, making them look like a bunch of split ends. I look like a 2 year old who tried to cut my own hair. Actually, I think my two year old could have done a better job. So if you see me in the next several weeks while they are growing out, you'll see bobby pins or a headband, or some kind of clip to hold them back. Oh yeah, and I paid the girl and even tipped her...what's wrong with me????

Dinners

I'll just put this question out there in hopes of a variety of answers...

What did you make/eat for dinner last night? We had chicken noodle soup with french bread and butter.
I can always use new ideas. Thanks!!

I Can Feel It In The Air

Autumn is coming! I couldn't wait one more week until the official beginning of Fall...I had to change the colors of my blogspot to match my favorite season of the year. I can't wait...soups, pies, sweaters, apples, pumpkins, beautiful leaves, and a crispness in the air.

Back From Africa

My dad returned from a two week stay in Africa yesterday. As you can see from the slideshow above, he was able to come into close contact with so much of the wildlife. He was impressed beyond his expectations and is really happy he made the trip. He travelled with his best friend, Rick and Rick's wife, Louise. He brought us some African t-shirts (so now we can wear something NOT made in China :) ) and some real wooden shoes purchased during his layover in Amsterdam. My girls love them!! They look like little Dutch girls. Thanks Grandpa!!! We're so glad you had a great time and even more glad you're home safe and sound.

Today we heard another encouraging message from Peter. We're heading back to the basics and our lesson today was in loving other Christians. It was a good reminder that the evidence of our faith is in the love we show to other believers. There should be a special afffection we have towards our brothers and sisters in the Lord. There were a few key points made on how we can show that love - don't ignore others, don't hold grudges but make every effort to reconcile conflicts, and treat others the way you want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).

I had to post the picture above because I want it forever etched in my mind. Jose has been doing our family devotions in the evening and it is now something the girls look forward to so much. They grab their own Bibles and turn to the story we're in for the evening. Jose prints a coloring page for each of them pertaining to the lesson to work on after the devotion. I'm loving it!!

We attended a wedding yesterday for Jose's childhood friend, David. The ceremony was beautiful and the bride was breath-taking. My girls, especially Annie, were thrilled to attend their first wedding. Annie kept commenting that the bride looked like a princess.

Music To My Ears

On Friday night we attended a concert at the Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena featuring The LA Collaboration. We were invited by my dear friend, Tami. It was such a beautiful concert featuring a combination of classical music, hymns, and some jazzy numbers too. I think I had two favorites...when we all sang and then they played the hymn "Before the Throne" and also the duo between Duane (the piano player) and Alex (the violin player) of "Anything You Can Do". The talents in these two men are incredible and the best part is they give glory to God for their gifts. I can't wait to hear them again. Check out their website at www.lacollaboration.com. Tami re-vamped the website this summer and it looks fabulous

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday dear Lulu
Happy Birthday to You!

Milk...It Does A Body Good

Today I ran to the thrift store to find a small dressy purse to carry out tonight. After buckling my girls back into the car I saw from the corner of my eye an elderly woman trip over a cement parking bumper and totally eat it on the asphalt. I ran over to help her up (which I discovered is so difficult when its basically dead weight). She had to sit a while longer and then together we got her up. Thankfully her main injury was a badly scraped up elbow and forearm. Unfortunately I had switched bags and didn't have my usual Neosporin and bandaids (our family's cure-all) to offer. The best I could do was offer baby wipes to help clean up her arm. Do you know what she was concerned most about? Her $400.00 glasses, which thankfully survived the fall. :) She went on to tell me that she began drinking milk and taking extra calcium early in life so now at 79 years old, even though she falls a lot, her bones are stong and don't break. So here's our lesson for the day ladies....let's drink our milk so when we're falling in parking lots we won't be breaking bones either.

On a side note, let me reveal to you how fashion-savy I'm not (although you probably already know this about me). :) At the store I found a darling bag to carry for only 50 cents. I thought it was a steal until I got home and looked at the name on the zipper...Lancome. I bought myself a new cosmetic bag. So tonight Jose will be carrying the cell phone, camera, my license, money and if he agrees, a tube of lipstick in his pocket. I'll be hands-free.

Something to Think About

A good friend of mine sent me this quote she read in My Utmost for His Highest (a devotional containing the works of Oswald Chambers). It can be a jaw dropper, but also a great motivator of gratitude for the Lord's love and grace in our lives. Here it is:

Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now He says we should exhibit to those around us exactly what He has exhibited to us.

Today was a busy but fun day. After Bek and I took Annie to school, we headed to a church in Chino to sign up for MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers). I am so excited to be joining this organization. I've only heard wonderful things about it. The whole concept is for the older women to teach the younger women about caring for their husbands, children, homes, etc. (a biblical principle from Titus 2). Spiritual wisdom is offered as well as practical ideas for ministering to our families. This will be something fun to look forward to with my Rebekah two mornings a month, while my Annie is busy in school, which is going so well by the way. :) I have to say that as much as I miss my Annie, I'm truly cherishing this time with Bek. It is a different dynamic having only one child with me. My goals are to spend quality time with Bek, getting to know her better as an individual (versus as part of a pair of siblings) and to give her the same attention in regards to academics as I was able to give Annie in the first few years of her life. Looking back, I realize how much I was able to teach Annie that I haven't had, or should I say made, the time to teach Bekah. I want her to have the same advantages going into school that Annie has (knowing the alphabet, being able to write letters of the alphabet, counting, etc.).

After MOPS we spent some time at my mom's eating lunch and hanging out, then brought Annie home. The afternoon was spent cooking dinner and baking some goodies for our youth at church. The exciting event of the afternoon happened in the patio. I heard a loud high-pitched chirping noise and looked to see a cat (who I now can assume is the culprit of those presents that have been left in the backyard) crouched down with the hair raised on its back obviously in pursuit of another animal. I got my broom to shoo it away when I saw it was hunting a small squirrel. Yikes! I certainly didn't want the cute little thing to get malled in my patio, especially with my 2 year old watching. But all I could picture was the scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with the squirrel being chased. What if the thing was rabid, and bit me?! Anyway I got the cat away, opened the front gate, and gently shooed away the innocent little creature. No harm done. I think some scenes of our lives should have background music, like in the movies and TV. It would make little dramas like this so much more interesting. :)

On to church we went this evening where I got to hang out with the Jr. High and High School girls. They really are such dolls and my heart is really beginning to love them. My desire for them to know and love Jesus is just increasing every time I see them. We went through the second half of James 1 and at the end we all named something from the chapter that we would implement into our lives since we are called to be doers, not hearers only. I chose to put into practice verse 20 where it says that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. When I get frustrated with my children, I tend raise my voice and let my emotions direct me. That is far from being okay and definitely does not represent the Lord's love. So with the Lord's help, I will refrain from being wrathful. In practical terms, I won't be a mom who yells.


Okay, well there's my novel for the evening. More to come later!

More Happy Birthdays

Happy Birthday to MFC Steve. Sorry we can't make it Saturday. Have a good time!

Also, Happy Birthday to Abbie...3 years old already!! We enjoyed celebrating her birthday today in a bouncy house called Pump It Up.

September 10th

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my best friend, Jen. I love you.

Well, I am officially the proud wife of a seminary student. Jose starts his classes today with Southern California Seminary. He is so excited and I'm so proud of him for going down the path the Lord is leading him. It may not be the most sensible choice in the world's eyes, but do we live to please God or man? So for me, its back to keeping the kids away and refraining from making too many commitments over the weekend for the family. But I don't mind, especially since all of the wonderful things Jose will be learning in regards to God and His Word will be used to better our family and Lord-willing one day a ministry He may entrust to us.


Yesterday we had another great day at church. The message was once again relevant and encouraging. Our pastor shared from James where we are told to not only be hearers of God's Word, but most importantly doers. It is not enough to agree with Scripture and say "good point!". We must actually put it into practice.
We welcomed the newest member of the church yesterday. Our friends, Orlando and Patty, brought their brand new baby girl, Keilah, to church yesterday. She is absolutely beautiful! Her big (1 1/2 year old) sister, Abigail, is happy with her new baby and the whole family is blessed. See the picture above.

I guess that's it for now. Back to the kids and the house!

***1st Day of Preschool***

We made it through Annie's much anticipated first day of school. She was excited to go and not excited to leave, so I guess that's a good thing. Right after Jose and I took her to her class she told me she wanted me to leave right then. Well alrighty then! I suppose I'd rather have it that way than the opposite with crying and wanting to stay with me. To make the day special for Bekah as well, Jose and I took her for a little Pho lunch just the 3 of us and then picked Annie up from class. We topped off our special day with a trip to Rite Aide for ice cream...and now the girls are both in bed. Annie is exhausted!! I'm happy to report that she is excited to return to school next week...I hope this enthusiasm continues.

I might add that I've come to discover what a nerd I am at heart. I love school (especially grade school) and everything about it. The classrooms, the crafts, the paper, pens, crayons, paints, lunch pails, stickers, etc. etc. I was even surprised at myself when I was super thrilled to receive the book order form for the month. I think I'm going to enjoy this season I've begun as a mother of a school-age child.

Organized Prayer

I learned of an idea through an Emilie Barnes book that I've implemented the last few weeks and is working really well, so I thought I'd share it. You know how there are so many people you want to pray for as well as plans, ideas, and other aspects of life? I, myself would always get really overwhelmed because even though I had the greatest intentions to be faithful in prayer, especially for those who have requested it, I would forget the exact request or even just plain old forget to pray. I've tried keeping a list, but as time goes on it grows and then I'd be back to square one being overwhelmed. So I took a spiral notebook and divided it into the days of the week with stick-on tabs and then assigned all the different people and areas of life I want to cover in prayer into the different days of the week. This has really helped me during my devotion time in the morning to cover everything I want to in prayer.

The BEST Landlords

I think we offically have the greatest landlords. Sitting in our kitchen is a brand new stainless steel oven and a matching dishwasher, soon to be followed with a matching microwave/range hood. Ted and Shelly are the best! They didn't even go with the cheapest and most basic models...they got the good stuff. If either of you ever read this blog...thank you!!!

Another Terrific Message

Yesterday Pastor Peter gave another encouraging message as he shared about the reality of the Holy Spirit. He pointed out some points that are so good to remember. First of all, the Holy Spirit is God and He is a person. Just as His title describes Him, He is holy...and we take Him with us everywhere. That's a good thing to remember when we are tempted with sin. He is there as we choose what to pour into our minds and hearts, when we decide our words and actions and carry them out. His work in us as believers is that of holiness...not emotional experiences. I was so blessed that Peter emphasized this aspect of the Holy Spirit's character because all too often people live by their emotions. There is a quest for excitement and Holy Ghost goosebumps, if you will. But in the passage in Ephesians chapter one where Paul is writing, he prays for wisdom and revelation by the Spirit of God, of course within the realm of God's Word. The encouragement here was to not be content with just getting by in our Christian lives, but to be a searcher for treasures in God's Word. Certainly there can be excitement when we sense the Lord in close communion and He is able to touch our emotions, but that should not be the ultimate goal. Knowing Him better and becoming more like Him and bringing Him honor and glory...that's the goal.

"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" - Philippians 3:10

"but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." " - 1 Peter 1:15-16

"that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" - Ephesians 1:12

Excuse Me...You're Biting My Bu**

Okay, I don't want to sound crude, but I had to title this post with that and if you've ever seen the movie Madagascar, you'll recognize the line. Anyway, who knew girls could wrestle and rough house like little boys? I suppose every mother of multiple daughters, but it was a surprise to me. On Saturday, it was "one of those mornings" with the kids. First Annie closed Bek's fingers in an amoire drawer...then ran away and covered her ears to avoid the cries. Apparently when it comes to flight or fight, Annie goes with flight. So a few minutes after that was settled, I hear Annie crying, a hurt cry. And, as my post title describes, Bekah executed her revenge by biting Annie on her fanny. I couldn't help but quote that movie line to Annie, and even in the midst of her anger and tears, she cracked a smile.

The day certainly got better as we headed to the high desert for a co-birthday party in celebration of Jose's grandma and his aunt. It was nice having the family together, and especially nice to sit in my sister-in-law's pool...the weather has been horrid! There are a few pictures above.