Sisters!

I love that my girls have each other. There is nothing quite like a sister can be. There is so much to share with each other, so much that you experience growing up together, so much you have in a sister. Believe it or not, I've told my kids that they can be 'best friends.' Gasp! I know! The very idea of it! But, I know it can happen! I love seeing their relationships grow and develop. I love how much they miss each other when one is away from the other.

Recently, my older daughter got a chance to spend some much needed time with her best friend. She was gone for two whole days. Kara, our five year old, missed her so much. She even had herself a good cry when she first left and spent the next two days counting down the minutes till the return of her beloved older sister was here. It's good to be missed!

One of the most awesome things that I love to hear is when Grace, Kara and Liliana get together in the other room and I hear the giggling girls. It warms my heart to see how Grace will take them and have tea parties, paint their toenails, do crafts with them and all around have fun together. The little ones eat that up like it was candy!

It truly is a blessing to have sisters who are also your friends.

Gobble! Gobble!

No matter how much I try to sneak some new dishes in each holiday, the kids refuse to give up their stuffed eggs. Grace had the pleasure of making them this year and they were mmmm...mmm..good!

Aaron is our picky eater. There are only a few items in the whole wide world that he will eat. I remember when I said I will never have a picky eater and then, we got Aaron. Never say never....! A round of corn dogs for his special Thanksgiving meal and he was one happy kid.


Some people got a little nap before dinner. I know...I know...usually that happens after the yummy meal. Guess we are resting up so we have lots of energy to partake of the feast! Don't worry about the drool....he's only dreaming of the Turkey and double layer pumpkin pie!


Look who's cookin??!! Don't you just want to gobble her up?!!


Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Fall Birthdays

In all the hustle and bustle of my crazy life, I've failed to get the fall birthdays up on my blog. So in honor of winter arriving this week, let's take a moment and reminisce about warmer days and beautiful red and gold leaves....

Our beautiful Grace turned 12 this fall. She is now officially a pre-teen or in our family, a young lady would fit more appropriately. I have been telling my kids since they were wee little that we are not doing 'teenagers' here in this family. I am raising young ladies and young gentlemen. There is no reason for them to act all crazy-like as they find their way into adulthood.

Grace is developing into a lovely young lady. Her love of life and excitement for things around her is contagious. We've seen so much growth both spiritually and physically in her that has blown us away. God is amazing in how He creates our children, how they are put together in His image and how that all works together into this wonderful human being. Her compassion for people and her sensitivity to the heart of God is something to be treasured.

Unfortunately, the week her birthday fell upon was the same week we were moving. It was a crazy time but we managed a cake and had her birthday dinner much, much later. She was able to spend some time with her Grandma for their special birthday time together which is always a fun time.

Our spirited, fully animated Aaron who loves to be home turned 6. He is more of a homebody. We've found that he has about a 45 minute time limit on anywhere we go and that usually includes drive time. He is a joy and brings so much laughter to this family. He's a deep thinker and if you give him your full attention, he will talk your ear off about some pretty deep thoughts. Many of them pertain to God and what He is finding out about Him.

For his birthday, we had cake and ice cream. His dinner of choice was hot dogs. I always look forward to the day when they expand their horizon's and want something different. But for now, this is what he asked for and that is what he got.

We always have expectations that on these special days that we will receive gifts. I am proud of these two dear children because on both occasions, we were not able to shower them with any presents and they both handled it swimmingly well. To an adult, you reason and can understand that sometimes life just doesn't allow for that (unless your love language is gifts but that is for another time) but to a child or young person, it is difficult to deal with.

We've found out in the midst of our difficult situation, that much of what we use to do is a luxury and a blessing which we tend to take for granted but isn't really what our hearts should be about. God wants to shower us with blessings and He does but many times it is not physical gifts or presents. He showers us each day with His love, His mercy, His forgiveness and His provision. I pray that my children grow up understanding the love God has for us in all circumstances and that they never doubt that even when times are tough.

Cake...it's not just for birthdays

We love to celebrate the accomplishments of our kids. Sometimes they are planned out and sometimes they come by surprise.

This past week, our Ryan was out and about playing with his good friend next door like he usually does. Only this time, their dad was out playing around with the kids. Ryan expressed an interest in riding his bike just like his good buddy Stephan was. Lo, and behold, after a couple tries of our neighbor giving him advice and helping him, off he went riding into the wind. Hi Ho Silver!

I must admit I was a little sad that it wasn't Ryan's own dad helping him but right now, he isn't able to bend over like that to help him balance nor can he run along side of the bike. It made me a little sad and a bit mad. I guess I was having a selfish moment and after being slightly miffed and letting my poor husband know of my great disappointment, I had to swallow my words and admit that it wasn't about what I wanted but it was about the excitement of the moment for Ryan.

So we watched with great enthusiasm at this wonderful accomplishment that our seven year old has conquered. After his riding adventures were done for the day, Ryan proudly walked into the livingroom and announced that we should have a party to celebrate him being able to ride his bike. I, teasing, asked him if we should make a cake. With the biggest grin you would ever be able to imagine, he answered with a yes!

The first thing Ryan asked me this morning was when I was going to bake that cake. Aaron, of course, informed me we could not have cake without ice cream. God provided the ice cream and it was the perfect shade of rainbow colors which the boys announced looked like playdoh. I think they might have been more thrilled with the ice cream than the cake but it was a grand ol' celebration either way.

I heard murmurings in the background mentioning that I hadn't made a certain older child a cake when she learned to ride so I guess I'll be baking another cake next week to celebrate previous accomplishments in this area. It was also mentioned that when she gets old and forgets how to ride a bike and at the age of 80 she relearns this skill....I'll be baking another cake then too. It's only fair, you know! Apparently, my job as cake baker is far from over....

A Very Special Gift

Birthdays are a grand celebration in my mind. It notes the importance of a person's life and how it intertwines with those who touch it. When we were growing up, we always celebrated birthdays with relatives and many times with a dear old friend named Chuck E. Cheese. Back then, it was quite something to have your birthday with that enormous mouse since we had to drive quite a distance to do so. I have many fond memories of those times.

Now, as a mother, it is such an important day to celebrate each of my children's birthdays. Each one, a remembrance of the beginning of life and how much they've grown and changed year after year.

We have a few traditions that we do for birthdays like picking out what you would like for Mom to cook for your birthday dinner, breakfast with Dad and let's not forget the cake and presents.

Grace has a flair and a exuberance for life which includes everything in it. Why would her birthday be anything less?

This year has us in a situation that hasn't allowed for much extra. Unfortunately, birthday's fall under that category. So I fretted. I knew Grace's birthday was coming and I knew that all her expectations of the day were not going to be met. I also knew that she was disappointed with our circumstances and had been having a hard time with it. I had nothing to offer her but I knew that God could give her something that we could not so I began to pray....

I didn't know what to expect. We've seen so many blessings in the past few month that have rendered me speechless that I was excited to see what God would reveal to her on her special day.

Her birthday arrived. I had arranged for her to spend some time with one of her Grandma's who took her (and I, the chauffeur) out for dinner and a special treat from Coldstone Creamery. She was thrilled and of course, Grandma had a present for her which was perfect...money to buy a Webkinz. When we arrived home, her other Grandmother had dropped off a present for her to open which sent her heart to soaring.

She had a really good day despite my not being able to offer her anything but our love. Throughout the day, it occurred to me that God had indeed answered my prayer and had given her something very special....something, that no one else could have even come close to giving her. Something that can only come from a Father who passionately loves his children....

JOY!

God promises that He will bless us but sometimes it's not what we are expecting and if we don't have eyes to see and ears to hear, we can miss it. I did not miss the blessing of His gift nor did she. We felt it flowing out of her from the time Grace's feet hit the floor after waking up until she laid her head down on her pillow that night. It touched our home, it filled her very being and it was shared with those who love her here in this home. It was there for her to enjoy and to delight in. I wish I could have recorded her throughout the day. It was amazing to see her in action. She sparkled with the joy of the Lord.

God had truly given her a joy, that only comes from within. I know kids are excited on their birthday but this was different. Sometimes when God blesses us with something, no one can fully understand the meaning behind it because it was only meant for that particular person. This was one of those times and we are so grateful that God revealed himself in that way, in that day.

I could not have planned a better celebration with my human hands if I could have tried. God is so amazing and His love for us is so encompassing. His love for our daughter, again, renders me speechless.

Happy Mother's Day!

On this Mother's Day, I was woke up by a two year old yelling emphatically that she's was 'hungy' (yes, I spelled that correctly). So we went downstairs to see what we could find. It's one of those kinds of days, old mother hubbard's cupboards are in desperate need of filling. Sometimes, it's hard to get to the store when you are running here and there. One would think if you are out, that would naturally be one of the stops. However, for us, it seems I'm always out in the opposite direction of the store.

Anyway, I'm off on a bunny trail it seems. As we entered the kitchen, Grace had made us a beautiful breakfast table. She put a table cloth on which we hardly ever use because the little one's like to pull it off. If that happens, everything on the table comes with it...yikes! She set the table very nicely along with our collection of 7-eleven Halo cups. It was all quite nice. She served blueberry Eggo waffles and since she knows those weren't my absolute fav, she used our one and only egg to make me a special omelet. She really blessed me today.

My husband's gift to me was him staying home with the kids while I went to church. I know that may seem incredibly weird to some of you, but if you could just picture me going to all there is to go through getting this family to church, only to walk the halls with at least one kid, you would understand what an incredible treat it is to actually hear the sermon and my most favorite part....to participate in worship. What a blessing that was!

I am truly blessed. I've been entrusted with five fabulous kids and the best husband I could ever have asked for. Thank you , Lord, for your unending blessings.

Happy Mother's Day, my friends!

Spiritual Growth

As a mother, I love to experience life with my kids. To me, experiencing their spiritual growth, is one of the most important. I cannot put it into words to properly describe how much it means to me.

We had a great service on Sunday. Yes, I actually got to sit through it and hear it, all at the same time. It was one of those rare moments. It happened to be the Sunday that communion was being served. Now, I know that many parents allow their kids to take communion at a young age but we have not allowed it.

To me, communion is a very personal and special time between the Lord and oneself. It is a very serious thing to take it and before I allow my children to partake of it, I want them to understand what it means. I don't want them taking it, thinking that it's snack time or sitting through it snickering, poking fun at it nor do I wish for them to take it for granted, leaving it with no meaning.

Grace has been asking about it recently and after much discussion, we've decided that she is ready to take that step. She's also been asking about baptism and expressing interest in doing that. I'm so excited that she's feeling prompted in that direction and is feeling God leading her there. It will be interesting to continue to see that play out in her life.

She took communion with us on Sunday. I thought it was her first time, but found out later that she had taken it at Jerusalem Temple, a church she visited with some friends of ours, down in the city. I was a bit disappointed at that because I really wanted to be with her when she decided to take it but after she explained what happened and how connected she felt, my disappointment dissipated a bit. I'm just grateful that I was there with her this time.

I want to explain that I'm totally not an overbearing, controlling parent, just a very involved parent who desires to experience all that I can with each one of my children. I am amazed at her spiritual growth as well as some of my other children. I don't remember being that way when I was their age. My mom was always talking to us about God and she was always willing to answer any and all questions we had. We went to church all the time. I had Grandparents always talking about God and His affect for change on our family. I knew from all of these things, that God was very real and I could see very real evidence of his care in our lives.

Perhaps, it's because they are home with us for their schooling which integrates God through every subject, along with all the other ways we help them understand their relationship with Christ through His blood sacrifice. Perhaps, it's the prayers their Grandparents have said over the years. Whatever, the reason, I'm am so grateful for it. I pray that their hearts will continue to be tender towards God and that they continue to seek Him out everyday of their lives.

CPR Class

Last week, the two older kids had a CPR class. I thought that would be a great idea since they are getting to the age that I am able to use them for babysitting the younger ones. This whole concept of leaving them alone was a new change for me. I can't believe that they are already that old. Then, I'll have conversation with them and it's very evident that they are. They have minds of their own! I've known this since they were younger than two but when one has half an inch before I'll be needing to start looking up to talk to him, that change is staring you in the face.

There was a lady in our homeschool group that use to have her license in CPR training but has let it lapse. She was willing to give the class but the kids aren't certified. Really, I just wanted them to have the information and the knowledge to know what to do should something awful happen when I'm not there.

She was great with the kids. They enjoyed her class and it was very interactive which was wonderful for a hand's on learning experience. Mrs. Cathy was a great sport at being one of the victim's. Her son worked with her and we all had some fun watching it!

The kids learned so many things and I am relieved that they are familiar with what to do. I was concerned about Grace to begin with. She freaks out everytime something happens. Her way of dealing with it is to run in her bedroom and hide. Not a good way to deal with an emergency situation.

A few years ago, we had a few traumatic things happen like my husband getting bit by the neighbors dog with lots of blood, then Aaron who was eight months old (at the time) fall down the stairs hitting his head on the GFCI again with lots of blood, and our three year old (at the time) eating what he thought was candy when it really was some of my mother's medicine. Hopefully, with some extra assurance on what to do in those situations, I'm hopeful they will be able to apply what they learned.

The kids had fun rolling each other on the floor so they wouldn't choke should the victim throw up, they were shown how to create a sling for a broken arm, given instruction on how to never pull an embedded object out of someone, choking and all about snake venom.

When the class was over, I was informed that if Grace was my help in time of need, I'm a gonner.....should I be worried????

She's......10!

Today is Grace's special day! She has now reached 10!

Originally, we had a cute as a cupcake day planned with several of her friends. They were to get their nails painted, hair done and all that goes along with that but much to her dismay, business is very slow for her parents so she agreed to an alternative.

Grace and I spent the day shopping yesterday! She made her list of stores she wanted to browse through and we checked them off as we went along. We started out at DSW Shoes and then went to Family Christian Bookstore. Then, it was lunchtime. Her choice for lunch was Steak-n-Shake. She had a steak burger, cheese fries and a double fudge dark chocolate sippable sundae.

Off to the mall was next on her list. We browsed through the Disney Store, J.C. Penney's, Libby Lu, K.B. Toys and Sears. Then we went to JoAnne's where she picked out material and a pattern for Grandma to teach her a bit about sewing. After that we hit Target where the fun never ends.

Today, she had breakfast with Dad to start the day our right. We had a family birthday party for Grandma who is now 93 to attend so we took out some time for that. Then we had dinner at the Coney Island with dessert at Dairy Queen.

She even got her Hanana Montana wig! She'd love to pass out autographs....if you ask nicely!

Happy 10th Birthday, Grace!