Last Week of April

On Tuesday when I dropped off Annie at Girl Scouts, I did something with Bekah and Joey that I am proud of myself for doing...I took them to the park.  I know, it's ridiculous to be proud of myself for that (and really I don't take pride in that), but it's a big germ fest and there are so many other things I could do with an hour in the afternoon than be at the park.  But they love it!

The sun on our faces did us good!   When I picked up Annie she brought with her a large envelope.  I didn't ask about it and when we got home she went straight to her room.  A few minutes later she came downstairs holding it and with tears in her eyes says, "I think I broke your present.  It went ckkshhh because I accidentally knelt on it.  I think it shattered!"  So I checked it out and sure enough she had a put her handprints on a page with a poem and her name signed at the bottom but the frame had shattered.

She was so upset!  I assured her that the best part was not ruined at all and we can easily replace the glass, but she was so sad that I wouldn't have a surprise to open on Mother's Day.  I love my girl's heart!!  I did end up cleaning the floors THOROUGHLY (we have dark hard floors downstairs which would make it easy to not see small pieces of glass).

Wednesday was a big day for us. Okay, I feel like a first-time mama again.  It was time to put Joey into childcare at church.  Jose and I very much so have missed sitting together to hear God's Word at church and quite honestly, I hadn't participated with full attention in a church service since before Joey was born.  I had always said I would put him in class when flu season ends...and here we are.  I wasn't concerned with leaving him other than his food allergies.  I didn't want him grabbing another child's milk bottle or graham cracker .  But he did great!  He loved it!  So now I am free to go to church and Joey is happy to play with the toys and new friends.  Here's a pic of the girls walking Little Brother to class for the first time...

On Friday evening, I attended the first part of our women's 2-day mini retreat.  What. A. Blessing!  The worship was refreshing and the Spirit was present and pouring out.  Pastor David's message on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives was so needed and I believe well-received amongst the women.  All we have to do is ask!  Truly I needed to hear this.  It had been a bit of a rough week for me, not because of any one incident but just overwhelming daily life.  In fact, I threw myself a little personal pity party the previous Monday.  I told Jose that I feel like I work from the minute I open my eyes in the morning to the time I fall into bed at night (oh yeah, and in the middle of the night when Joey gets up).  I didn't want to add to his burdens...he works full time, weekly prepares and preaches a sermon and cares for a flock of Spanish speaking sheep, and attends school part time.  I know my role.  I agreed whole-heartedly to my role as a full-time wife and mother.   I need to free him up.  I WANT to free him up.  But there are times when I forget to ask for the Holy Spirit to empower me.  When I neglect to ask, it really does become a one-man (or woman!) show.  And this one woman cannot do it all every single day.  Not without Jesus leading me, strengthening me, and encouraging me.  My best is not good enough, not even close.  But when I stop and lay my cares at Jesus' feet, He is faithful, so faithful to renew my strength and encourage me to keep going. 

On Saturday I attended the second part of our mini retreat where Cora Alley of Harvest Christian Fellowship taught.  What a wonderful communicator she is!  The theme of our retreat was Isaiah 58:11 "And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones.  And you will be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.."  Cora provided an excellent visual aid of a well-watered garden (a bouquet).  She used a different kind of flower to represent the riches we have been given in Christ and the aspects of our Christian lives.  Such a beautiful bouquet.  She also talked about the weeds that we can accumulate that ruin the beauty of the flowers.  I had some weeding to do!  It was a fabulous mini retreat and I am thankful I was able to attend. 

Sooo, on to another week.  But I am not going to forget to daily, maybe hourly, maybe every minute!  ask for the Holy Spirit to rid me of me, and fill me with Him.  I'm so thankful He promises He will!

What a Busy Week It's Been!

Wow, for having been on break from homeschool we sure were busy!  This year I was super excited for Easter and was determined to make it a celebration in our home.  I think that happened.  : )  The girls seemed to truly rejoice in the miracle of our loving and powerful risen Savior.  Here's a recap of some of the events of our week...

The girls filled treat bags with jelly beans and attached a poem about the meaning of each color to hand out to our family on Easter.

On Wednesday we went to an Easter party with some moms and kids from church.  The kids painted crosses, listened to the Easter story, hunted for eggs, and ate a yummy lunch.

Here's a group shot.  Notice Annie is hanging on to Joey with all the strength she can muster while Bekah is pouting because Annie gets to hold Joey and she doesn't (not uncommon).  And see that little guy in the red overalls on the very right?  He's just such a cutie!!  I hope he and Joey become friends.  : )

Later Bekah did get to hold her Joey (kind of)   = )

I didn't take any pictures on Good Friday but what a wonderful day it was!  I was able to attend the noon service at church and it was beautiful, although so very difficult to hear the account of the crucifixion.  I will never be able to hear it without my heart being broken.  I watched the evening service online and it was so amazing to see the cardboard testimonies.  What amazing stories our family in Christ have of how He alone rescued and transformed them, all to His glory!  He is so good to each one of us and His mercy endures forever!  What blessed me so much was that everyone's heart seemed to be bursting this Easter season.  Facebook was overloaded with the message of the cross and the resurrection...praise the Lord!!!  I can't wait until we all see Him face to face, bowed down and worshipping our King!!!

Saturday morning started off with much excitement for my Annie and her dear friend, Sarah.  They had been planning to get their hair cut together and donate it to Locks of Love .  Here are some shots of the whole process...

Before...

 Snip snip

 Good bye hair!

 10 inches

 After...

Later that day we headed to my dad's to celebrate his 65th birthday with dinner and presents as well as Bekah's half birthday which my dad does for all the kids in lieu of their actual birthdays (just for something fun and special to look forward to for them!)

 Bekah loves her new Rebecca St. James CD.  We now have #1 on repeat.  Oh my.

Sunday morning was just a beautiful service at church with fantastic worship and a truly Christ-centered message.  The gospel could not have been presented any clearer.  I was overjoyed to have my brother and cousin there with me.  After we attend 2nd service, we stayed for 3rd for the Spanish service and the girls enjoyed handing out bulletins and serving the breakfast burritos and pan dulce with their Auntie Leti.  Joe was ready to go...

On we went to our traditional Easter celebration at the Delgados and we also celebrated my dad's birthday.  His favorite pie is pumpkin so that's what I made him...

We ended our Resurrection Day celebration with our own tradition at home...resurrection rolls!  The girls love doing this every year and even though they know the story, they still get all excited. The marshmallows represent Jesus, the melted butter is the embalming oils, the sugar and cinnamon are the burial spices, and the crescent rolls are the cloths He was wrapped in.

Then He is placed in the tomb (the oven) and a large stone is rolled in front (the oven door slams!)

 When they look to see if Jesus is still there, it's only His cloths!  He is not here, He is risen indeed!

And last night the girls starting laughing uncontrollably.  When I looked this is what I found...

 Who did this?!

 "Me, Mommy, me!!"

 

Start of Easter Break

This week we are on Easter vacation from home school.  I have some Easter crafts and activities planned for the kiddos but since today is Jose's day off, we decided to take them on a little outing.  We went to the L.A. Arboretum.  It was cool and drizzly, but not very crowded so it was nice.

Above is Bekah hungry and as she says "feeling floppy".  So we ate lunch...here's a pic I love of Daddy and Joey -

When we came home the girls starting painting some flower pots...

And here's a cute pic of my Super Hero Joe, just because.  : )

Aside from the cough I can't get rid of, it's been a nice day!

Hello Again

Oh my. Am I really re-starting this blog?  So my last post was almost a year and a half ago and I said I would stop this blog to scrapbook and do other things.  I haven't scrapbooked.  : (  Let's see...so much has changed since that last post...

 I am no longer pregnant.  That was the quickest, yet toughest pregnancy yet.  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes two days before Christmas.  I was put on a strict diet telling what and when to eat and checking my blood sugar 4 times a day.  Oh boy did the Lord use that to show me how self-serving I really am.  I did NOT like not being in control, but by God's grace He helped me stick to the plan and I've never felt so rewarded as when Joey was born a healthy 7 lbs. 13 oz. (my littlest baby yet!).  He was born February 23, 2010 and he brings huge joy to all of us.  He is walking and babbling and just so. much. fun!  He actually has 3 mommies - me, Annie, and Bekah.  : )   The girls are FANTASTIC helpers and love Joey to pieces.   To date, Joey has 6 teeth, gives high fives, feeds himself with a fork, loves peek-a-boo and patty cake, dances when Daddy makes a beat, and is refusing to stop nursing.  : /   He also is allergic to wheat, peanuts, and milk.  So one of my summer projects this year will be to research what he actually can eat and re-vamp some recipes.

Jose is ALMOST done with his bachelor's degree...praise the Lord!  He is taking one of his last 3 classes and is scheduled to be done August 19th.  I am so very proud of him.  It has been such a long haul and he has excelled and grown so much through this journey.  I know he feels more than ready to be done but he is a trooper and is still doing well through the home-stretch.  The Spanish ministry at church is going well and while his weekly sermon preparation is no easy task, we see the Lord moving and it's a blessing to watch the people grow and fellowship.

Annie and Bekah are doing so well.  They are healthy, beautiful, and smart and just enjoy life.  They are both excellent students and have done a great job with school this year.  We are determined to finish our last quarter of homeschool well.  Annie is involved with Girl Scouts this year and LOVES it!!  They have already held a food drive and visited a food bank, camped out in the leader's backyard, sold tons and tons of cookies, and this week they are packing backpacks for underprivileged kids.  These are exactly the kinds of activities I was hoping for when I signed her up.  Bekah is counting down the months until her Daisy troop begins.  She can't wait to do all the fun and exciting activities Big Sister has done.

Oh yes...and we bought a house last year!  After spending 3 years in our tiny 2-bedroom rental, the Lord blessed us with a little more elbow room about a mile away.  He did miracles for us with the timing of our purchase and working out the money.  He is so good and when He is in something, He gives that perfect peace that can only come from Him.  We love our home.  It isn't grand by any means, but rather average, yet it suits us perfectly.  Of course there are a million improvements and changes on our wishlist but overall we are very happy here.

I think that's a pretty basic summary of the last year and a half.  I hope to be more faithful to this blog because I know there is so much I want to remember, but if I don't document it I'm afraid I'll forget.  Be back soon!

Farewell

After much consideration, I've decided to close down my blog. I just don't have the time to maintain it the way I used to. I would like to start scrapbooking again (which I haven't done in over a year!) and I would always excuse myself from it thinking, "well, it's on my blog". So a big THANK YOU to all who have faithfully visited "In Him, Through Him, For Him" and have taken the time to leave comments. I will still be checking in to the blogs I follow and love so much. And I just know that after I hit "publish post" there will be a million ideas of things I just have to blog about. Ha!

So may all we are, say and do be in Christ, through Christ, & for Christ. And may He bless you abundantly.

Love and Blessings,
Laura

Check It Out

I really enjoyed Jose's most recent blog post...you might, too!

http://josej.conocerle.com/

Our Ultrasound

We finally had our ultrasound today! Last night I was like a kid going to Disneyland the next day. I literally woke up 5 times throughout the night with excitement. My girls had made a paper chain counting down the days and our big day was finally here!

Everything went really well. The baby is right on target for my March 4th due date. The doctor had no concerns at all (except for health care reform which he vented about for a good 10 minutes!). We are excited to welcome this new little person into our lives. I guess that's about it! Oh wait, am I forgetting anything??? Ohhhhh, you want to know if it's a girl or boy. Well here is Bekah's note to the doctor...it tells all...(you may want click to enlarge for a clear view)

Talent

A couple months ago my Uncle Dan in Virgina emailed me a picture of a drawing he sketched.

















And look at this amazing painting he turned it in to...














Isn't it beautiful!? I wish I lived in a place that looks that way. And I wish his talent for art was passed down to me. Unfortunately I can only draw a straight line with a ruler. : / However, I think a little of the ability may have made it to Annie. She has always loved to draw since she could hold a pen. Yesterday I gave her a book on how to draw airplanes and left her alone. I returned to find these drawings:




















Not too bad for a 6-year old little girl, I think?

P.S. Dad and Uncle Jeff...maybe it's time for Annie's first air show? = )

What We've Been Up To

Last week we kept busy! Here a few pictures for an update:













Annie learned about the seasons of the year and since there weren't any hands-on activities to compliment it, I decided she would make her first lapbook (a file folder displaying many mini-books). She had a great time doing it!













Her lapbook includes a spinning wheel telling the months in each season, a little blurb about her favorite (or not) season(s), a pocket with drawings of her favorite activities for each season, a flapbook with general info. about each season, and a mini-flapbook containing the holidays found in each season.


**Note** I am so proud of how well she is doing with her cursive handwriting. She is picking it up quickly and sticking with it.













Last week we made a home for worms after studying insects and other critters close to the ground.













Yay!! Annie finally got the concept of counting dimes. It took her a little while but this week it finally clicked.













And of course Bekah wants to do whatever Annie is doing. Out came all the coins!













As part of Bible Annie is learning about the Jewish calendar.












Don't worry, she is also learning about our calendar! :)



The girls also started their acting classes this week. They both enjoyed them, although since Bekah's is for 3 & 4 year olds, it was more like storytime than anything else. Annie loved hers and made a new friend. I think I'm going to enjoy my Thursday afternoons the next couple months. Their classes are at the local library so I get one hour alone with each girl to work on school work or just read together, and an hour and a half in between to do whatever we want (the library is at the mall). Just to be safe, I think I'll forget my wallet at home. Too much damage can be done in an hour and a half!

Happy Birthday, Jose!

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband. The girls and I love you more than you can imagine. It has been so awesome watching the Lord work through you as you are faithful to your call in His kingdom. Your homecoming is still my highlight each day you go to work and our home is happier when you're here. May your birthday and every day be blessed!

MFW Blog Roll

I'm so excited! I saw this button on Bridget's blog and I had to click since I'm a My Father's World curriculum fan. It lists a bunch of moms using the same publisher for homeschool curriculum so everyone can share what they are doing. I've already found some terrific ideas and can't wait to find more!

PDA

And by PDA I don't mean Personal Digital Assistant. I mean Public Displays of Affection. Has anybody else noticed people more frequently and publicly displaying their affection lately? Well I have and NOTHING bothers me more! I'm all for holding hands, walking with an arm around eachother, or a quick peck. But all those lovebirds out there have had me blushing lately! Seriously, in the children's section of a department store in the middle of the aisle?! Come on! (sigh) Okay, I feel better I got to vent a bit. Thanks for letting me rant.

Such A Sweetheart

Yesterday I had my monthly dr. visit but this time it was with his nurse practitioner who also happens to be his wife. I just love her! She found my baby's heartbeat (music to my ears!) and then started asking me about my previous miscarriages, especially since I'm 17 weeks now which is only 1 week earlier than when I lost Elizabeth. She was so nice! She said that to put my mind at ease I can go in anytime she is in the office and she'll do a quick ultrasound scan to be sure everything is ok...like every week if I want to! I so appreciated her concern. So far things are going well and I can feel little nudges and kicks more each day (in fact he/she must know I'm writing about it cause its kicking me now!). I've done my best not to live in fear with this pregnancy and the Lord has been so faithful. So next appt. is Oct. 15th...is it a boy or a girl??? Lord-willing we'll find out then!

Fall!

Oh just look at all the Autumn goodness on here. I LOVE the colors of Fall! It may be a super hot, dry, windy day but oh well. I need some kind of Autumn around me, even if it just is my blog.

Pottery Jars

Our theme for the school year is Bible history from Genesis to Revelation. So right now the kids are learning about how the Bible was written on scrolls and kept in pottery jars. So yesterday we made our own small jars and stuck tiny brown scrolls inside. Fun! These are the little hands-on things I've been wanting to do again and we're finally doing them. It gets the information in the kids' brains and they have fun while doing it (I have fun, too!).

Fun at the Fair

On Thursday we took our annual fieldtrip to the fair. We had a great time and I am happy to report we did not have to leave early due to my allergies (unlike last year!). After meeting up with our homeschool group we split off and headed to see the animals. Of course we loved seeing them all, especially the piglets and lambs...so precious! Although, the sheep and goats got a little crazy so we got outta their petting zoo pretty quick. Then my very gracious dad met us there...he's such a trooper! He had a meeting that morning in Riverside and rushed out to meet us. He didn't even get to change out of his dark long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. It was 97 degrees that day! Annie earned 9 free rides by doing book reports. Bekah also made book reports even though the minimum grade to participate was Kindergarten. The lady at the booth was so gracious and gave Bek a few ride tickets for her hard work. Here are a few pics of our day:




One of Annie's FAVORITE foods is corn on the cob. She always cleans the cob.

The kids pet a baby alligator in the dinosaur display building.

The girls each had a rag doll made. They were are so cute and the girls absolutely love playing with them. They named them Rose and Frances (after their own middle names).

They got a kick out of the little red school house and the slates the children used to use instead of paper.

Both girls got to sew a little.

One of my kids' favorite insects is a preying mantis so they were excited when they found this photo opp. We get them in our yard often and the other day Annie said, "I think preying mantises come to our house because they know we like to pray."