Mother's Day

This has been a wonderful Mother's Day...I have lazed around all day and have done absolutely nothing productive.  Miguel has pampered me from start to finish on this day and is even getting the kids in bed for me so that I can hang out with my computer...I'm sure I'll have to kick butt tomorrow to make up for all this inaction today. 

My Mother's Day flowers

I also was the proud recipient of a jar of olives, a pack of gum, breakfast and OJ in bed, a cookie from the baby shower they had next door yesterday (that Gracia ate for me), 100 kisses from Jkaile (he's really into kissing these days!), a toy compass from Chikfila, and an old red pen.  I am truly blessed! 

I thought a lot about my own Mom today...mostly because she is traveling these days.  She just spent 3 weeks on a consultant trip to Colombia and is now in Ecuador visiting my two sisters who work there.  I confess to being a wee bit jealous...who wouldn't want to enjoy the beautiful scenery plus spending time with family?!  I got to skype a little with her tonight...incredible what technology can do these days!



One of my all-time favorite pictures of my Mom is this one, that I think really represents her well.  That beautiful smile and a heart that has loved these precious people for several decades now...she had just given a life-saving injection to this little baby, a first in this tribe.  I have to say that I admire her dedication and commitment to God, because all she ever aspired to be was a wife and mother and yet she has become so much more than that! 

 

I'm kind of far away from my other mother as well, my mother-in-law Delia...but thanks to good telephone service, we were able to hear her voice, at least for a little while.  I am very thankful for her life and her dedication to serving God...especially how she brought Miguel up to be the godly man that he is!

Miguel's parents, Angel and Delia



Hearing God's Voice

Last weekend my Gracia girl ended up with a straddle injury from jumping onto her bicycle seat a little too quickly and I was afraid we'd have to take her to the hospital to get a catheter or something because she could barely bring herself to pee because of the pain.  I felt so badly and so helpless to help her.  Maybe it wasn't the best decision, but I decided to deal with it at home instead of taking her to the doctor and subjecting her to the process of getting examined by a stranger. 

We made it through one night and another day, but then the next night she woke me up from a pretty deep sleep twice complaining of a tummy ache.  I sent her back to bed both times.  I know that I was half-asleep and pretty out of it, but even so I recognized that I was pushing her away because I just didn't want to deal with it.  I didn't know what to do, so I chose to do nothing.  I felt the pricking of my conscience and recognition of my dysfunction, the way I sometimes push my kids away when I don't know how to deal with their pain.  Even in my stupor, I knew that it was wrong.

I prayed.  I told God that I didn't want to get up at 1 o'clock in the morning when I was so dead tired and that I didn't know what to do to comfort my daughter.  I think I asked Him what to do.  And He answered.  I felt it very strong in my spirit (or wherever it is that God speaks to us) 'go to her'...I think I reminded God that I didn't really want to and I heard it again...'Go to her. Don't leave her alone when she is hurting.'  So I got up and I went to her where she was laying on the couch and we sat together while she moaned in discomfort.  I helped keep her hair out of her face while she threw up and I helped her clean it all up.  And I held her and I tucked her back into bed where she slept for the rest of the night and I am so grateful for God's gentle voice that is teaching me how to be the mother I need to be.  I am grateful that I am coming to the place where I can hear that voice because I'm pretty sure it's been there all along, waiting for me to listen.

The next day I didn't feel so well myself and it was Columbus Day anyway, so we took the day off school.  I determined to make caring for Gracia my priority that day and so we spent hours sitting together on the couch where I helped her keep a frozen water bottle on her injury and got her to drink two glasses of ice tea so that she would not get dehydrated.  I went to the bathroom with her and comforted her through the pain of going potty.  It helped and she got better that day.  To tell the truth, I got better that day, too. 

Happy Birthday to Jkaile!

I had a lot of mixed feelings when I found out that I was expecting Jkaile...it was a difficult time in our lives and I knew that a pregnancy with all of its discomforts would most likely only complicate things.  I was right...

Morning sickness hit me hard and in the middle of that, we moved from the city where we lived in Venezuela to a small town to start a new ministry.  The house we lived in was very comfortable, but without a good cooling system and I struggled a lot with the heat and humidity.  I got very sick that February with a bad flu and became very dehydrated without realizing it.  I probably should have been hospitalized, but I refused to budge and poor Miguel had to nurse me back to health with the help of some friends.

It was during that time that I began to think that perhaps I would lose this baby...I'm not sure why I was convinced of this, but somehow I believed that since I hadn't really wanted another baby, maybe I didn't deserve to receive the blessing of another baby.  Completely absurd, I know, but it was a low time in my life and I don't think that I was thinking straight.  But because of that feeling, I prayed more fervently for this child than I had for the others.

Once I recovered from that illness, we had to move once again and the second house we lived in was even hotter than the first.  I struggled with the heat and dehydration and exhaustion and varicose veins in an unmentionable part of my body that made life miserable.  I was one grouchy momma, let me tell you!  I don't like to think about that time of my life...we traveled some during the months of April and May and then in June traveled back to the states to attend a family reunion.  Here's a picture of my mom and sisters and me on the last day of our family reunion...I went into labor that very night.  If I look uncomfortable, I was!  lol  I found out that my belly was so huge because I had an incredible amount of amniotic fluid.

Jkaile was born at 3 a.m. on July 22 after a rather short labor.  When he was born, the doctor noticed right away that there was a full knot in the cord and they cut it out to study it.  I don't think I was quite 'with it' to realize the full implications of that knot, I was just relieved to find out that Jkaile appeared to be a normal, healthy baby. 

What a cutie!  

At two weeks of age, I took Jkaile in to the dr. for the normal two-week check-up.  The pediatrician looked him over and then just stood there holding him for a long time, looking him over.  Then she kind of came to herself and handed him back to me saying that she rarely sees such a "perfect" baby.  As a new mom I was flattered, of course, but also surprised by her comment because I'm sure she sees hundreds of newborns every month.  I asked her about Jkaile's cord that had not yet fallen off even after 2 weeks...she said that his cord appeared to be very thick and that sometimes a thick cord takes longer to dry up and fall off.  I also mentioned that he'd had a knot in his cord at birth and asked her about that.  She was surprised and told me that a knot in the umbilical cord is "potentially fatal" and that what probably saved Jkaile was the fact that his cord was so thick.  

And then I knew...God has a plan for every life...God protected Jkaile through all of my sickness and travels and even from the knot in his cord.  That is also probably the reason I had been prompted to pray for his life and his safety all during my pregnancy.  Jkaile's life is a precious gift from God that we will enjoy as long as God allows.  

Jkaile at two weeks.

Jkaile and I

As Jkaile grew, I worried about a bit about his development, wondering if there had been any adverse effects from a possible lack of oxygen due to the knot in his cord, but it has become quite obvious to us that the exact opposite is true.  Not only is Jkaile a normal, healthy child, he is also demonstrating a higher intelligence than any of our other kids at this age!  Some friends who are highly educated in the areas of education and psychology who teach him in Sunday School have actually encouraged me to think of him as a special needs child because of his high intelligence (in other words, I need to keep him busy and challenged or suffer the consequences!).  No, he probably won't be one of those twelve year olds who graduate from college, but it's obvious that he is pretty smart.  

So Happy Birthday Jkaile! I'm so glad that you are part of this family!  Love you lots, Mom

Jkaile, July 2010

Sometimes It's Better Not to Know

As much as I'd like to catch glimpses of the future sometimes, I think that for the most part, maybe it's better not to know what life will bring you next...when Micah started throwing up one Saturday night about 2 1/2 weeks ago, I'm really glad I didn't know that we were looking at a solid week of vomiting and sickness! Micah got sick on Saturday night, then I started getting it on Monday night, Tuesday was Jojo's turn, Tuesday night Gracia started throwing up, and Wednesday night Jkaile started throwing up. By that time, Jojo was well enough to help Jkaile...which is when I snapped this sweet, sweet picture! Okay, well, yeah, it's a little gross, but isn't it just so sweet how Jojo is helping his little brother?! And okay, yes, what kind of a Mom takes pictures at a time like this, but hey, Jojo had it all under control...what you don't see is me throwing the camera down and joining them there on the floor...

On Friday morning, Miguel and JD both woke up sick and I began throwing up Friday night. What a miserable, miserable week that was! :( But God gives grace...we just canceled all family appointments and events (including a birthday party, a bridal shower, and a baby shower) although Miguel did go to work the representation table at a missions conference even though he wasn't feeling the greatest.

The kids missed most of the week of school, which happened to be testing week, but they were able to make that up this last week. I think the most disappointing thing, though, was not to be able to hang out with some good friends who were in town so their kids could take the testing, too. We did get a good talk in on the phone, but that's not the same as hanging out over a meal and watching our kids enjoy each other. :( Oh well, maybe next time...

It took us another week to get over that flu as we dealt with the hangers-on of fatigue, upset tummies, and diarrhea. Ugh! This week, though, we are mostly back to normal, although tired from being a bit busier than usual...I've been trying to dig out from under the enormous pile of winter/too small clothes that has taken on epic proportions in the younger kids' room (quite embarrassing for guests to catch a glimpse of on their way to the bathroom and my kids can NOT seem to keep the door shut!). Not to mention the dust bunnies, or as a friend puts it "dust llamas" accumulating everywhere at incredible rates..Miguel swept out quite a pile from under and around the bed in our room this morning! With the dry and dusty condition of this desert region, things deteriorate about 10 times faster than back home!

So okay, back to work sorting out clothes...which to put away for next year, which to get rid of (we're considering putting on a garage sale!), which to keep...decisions, decisions, decisions. Not my favorite thing to do when I would prefer to veg...

Modeling Grace

For the umpteenth time that day, I heard the wailing begin.

With a sigh, I dried off my hands and headed towards the bedroom...dreading having to sort out what I thought for certain would be yet another sibling conflict. Something we've been having a LOT of lately!

Instead, the wailing child had merely bonked his chin on closet while getting dressed for bed.

My first response, I am ashamed to say, was to judge. If he hadn't been hopping around and being silly, he probably wouldn't have hurt himself in the first place.

Ouch.

Why can't I just merely comfort and console?! I winced as I realized that I often do not model grace for my children. Not only do they suffer because of my lack of compassion, but I have to ask myself whether this lack of grace be influencing some of the dynamics behind the recent surge in sibling rivalry?

Definitely something to think about.

I don't know why I struggle to receive and give grace...I suppose I could begin tracing back to my childhood and point to all the factors that might have influenced me, but honestly, the fact is that I do struggle with it. I think it would be much more helpful to just accept that truth and focus my energy on learning more about grace from this point on.

I was excited to see this post from Simple Mom in my inbox this morning. Maybe a good place to start (or return to) is by learning how to heap grace on myself. If I am not receiving or working out the grace in my own life, then I obviously won't be heaping it on my family, either! And oh, how we all need heaps of grace!

I typically struggle with knowing how to take care of myself...it was, in fact, one of the biggest factors in our having to leave Venezuela when we did. Years of not heaping grace on myself, not recognizing my limits, and not taking care of myself set me up for a spectacular crash that I'm still recovering from.

The funny thing is, though, while I remember those years with sorrow over my lack of grace, my children remember those same years with fondness as they focus on the good times. The special times we shared as a family and the fun things we did together...I'm so glad that grace is smoothing out the wrinkles in our family history.

I took the stress assessment test, by the way, and got a score of 220 which means..."Take care of yourself now. You have borderline high stress. Your chance of accident or illness related to your stress within two years is moderate." I guess that means I need to go heap some grace on myself today.

The True Challenge of Potty Training

I have become convinced that the true challenge of potty training isn't getting your kids to 'go' in the potty, but in maintaining one's sanity while you are at it. It's quite possible that God designed this stage of childhood as a sanctification tool or something...there are few things that can bring out the Mean Mama in me quicker than things that go on during this time of potty training.

The other day, for instance, all I wanted to do was take a nap! And yet, who kept popping up out of his bed, peeling off his diaper, needing to sit on the potty than the child who just a few days before had resisted all efforts at training?! No use telling me this is actually a good thing, it's still annoying. Yes, I really do want him to use the potty, just not every five. minutes. during. nap. time. Apparently, the gumdrop rewards are working better than I thought...

But a funny thing happened the other day (and here is where you choose to continue reading at your own risk due to somewhat graphic imagery ahead...). Jkaile pooped big time. Then he got up, turned, bent over to pull out the potty insert...except that either he wasn't quite finished or there was some poo stuck to his rear that fell on the floor.

Of course he stepped in it.

Several times.

I finally decided to just pick up the entire mess (literally) and take it all away. My plan was to place him in the shower, take away the potty chair insert, dump the poo, and then clean up the child. But the toilet is on the way to the shower and as his hand holding the potty insert passed over the toilet, he dumped.

From a height of about three feet.

Yeah, we both hit the shower after that one...

What struck me at that moment, though, is that I was laughing. After four kids and countless years of potty training, the sanctification must be kicking in after all.

So Sweet

Before I left for the Women's Retreat last Friday, Gracia slipped me an envelope with a "card" in it. I tucked it into my pocket and opened it on the way out to where we were going to stay. This is what Gracia gave me; a picture of the two of us. Isn't that the sweetest thing?! This will definitely be something I will keep in my Bible as a sweet memory...

Close-up...

High Hopes

I really had high hopes for the time that Miguel was gone...I had hoped to get some extra housework done, like put away the small mountain of winter clothes piled on the top bunk in Gracia's room, clean out closets, reorganize some of my kitchen cabinets, etc.

Yeah, right!

It's now Thursday, Miguel comes home on Sunday, and I'll be doing good to have made up the beds for his Mom and brother! It has taken all of my energy just to take care of the kids and keep up with the dishes and a little bit of laundry...I have a renewed respect for all single Moms!!! Hat's off to you!

This week the three older kids have been attending VBS at our church, giving me some "free" time in the mornings...I say "free" because I still have Jkaile, but being down to just one kid from four frees me up quite a bit! :D On Monday I made a Walmart trip. Walmarts here aren't really quite like the Walmarts back stateside, but still a pretty good shopping experience. I enjoyed pushing the cart around the store and perusing the shelves a little more slowly than usual while Jkaile enjoyed a cinnamon roll from the bakery. Actually, Miguel has been doing most of the shopping for us lately, so even just going to the store is fun for me!

Anyway, I popped into the makeup/jewelry/sunglasses section to look for a strap for Micah's new glasses (didn't find any) and found myself looking at the fake fingernail section. I have to admit that I'm a nailbiter...can't remember a time when I haven't bitten my nails. :( I recently came across this picture and had to laugh...

Yep! That's me down there in the front, chewing on that fingernail for all I'm worth! My parents tried everything from bribery to punishment...nothing ever worked. The only times I've ever been able to grow my nails out is when I have been pregnant or used fake fingernails. But then I always start biting them again. I have been noticing that the habit has been getting worse lately (if that's even possible!) and I decided that maybe I need to be a bit more proactive about it. I'm not pregnant, so I decided to go the acrylic route and bought myself a bunch of fake nails.

So I get them home and then realize that I have no suitable fingernail polish! So I called a friend and she said she'd loan me some. Good, okay, so I am a complete novice at putting on nails or doing anything of the sort, so it was a bit awkward getting them on...I finally got the first hand done and the nails clipped quite short because I'm not used to long fingernails. I was halfway done with the second hand, when I looked over and to my horror noticed that Jkaile was jumping happily on the couch in a state of undress (we've been potty training) with a poopy derriere!!!! Oh my goodness! So there I was, cleaning him up with those long nails on my right hand (hadn't trimmed those yet) and I just about decided that long fingernails are not for me!

But, I got the mess cleaned up and got back to work on my nails...by that time, I had to rush to get ready to go pick the kids up from VBS and it was embarrassing to show up with white nails (I picked up the nail polish on the way home). And then one fell off. groan. I'm happy to say, though, that despite the rough start, I'm beginning to like them! I don't think I have particularly pretty hands anyway, I inherited my dad's short, rather stubby fingers, and having long nails seems to make them more feminine. I think I like that. And if you've known me long at all, you will know I'm not exactly the epitome of femininity (my goodness, is that the right word? looks funny, but sounds cool).

So when Miguel gets back, probably all I'll have to show for my time will be pretty fingernails and children that survived his time away! Oh well...I've about convinced myself that maybe it would be better to tackle those cleaning projects with Miguel's Mom to help me anyway...

Meditating on Psalm 63

I really should be in church today...but Jojo woke up feeling sick (when he's not interested in breakfast, I know it's for real!) and Jkaile has turned into The Crank because he's got a molar that's about to break through the gum. I really do feel sorry for The Crank, even though he's quite getting on my nerves, because he's so obviously in pain! He's hungry, but can hardly stand to eat and he keeps crying and pointing to his "owie" mouth. :( I've kept him somewhat entertained with movies and hard candies (something he seems to be able to handle), ice cream and playing with the hose outside. We even gave Coco and Cora a bath! (Cuzco is over guarding a friend's house while they are gone for the summer, but he doesn't like baths anyway). Coco wasn't too sure about the whole bath thing at first, but then she calmed down...and Cora couldn't wait for her turn, she kept shoving Coco over to get under the hose!

So, in spite of caring for Jojo and The Crank, I wanted to get a spiritual feeding in there today since lately I've felt myself getting a little "off" (you know the signs...irritability, struggling with emotions, etc.) and needing a few Words of Encouragement. Immediately, Psalm 63 popped into my head. Probably because today is the Sunday that the Bible study ladies at our church were going to recite the entire psalm in front of the congregation; we've been working at memorizing it for weeks! And while I can't say that I'm too sorry about missing having to get up in front of everyone (memorization in my second language doesn't come quite as easy as in the first!), I was looking forward to the chance to be more involved with the ladies in this way. But oh well...so I present to you Psalm 63, definitely one of my favorites!

Psalm 63 (NIV)
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;

they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by God's name will praise him,

while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Salmos 63 (RV 1995)
Salmo de David,cuando estaba en el desierto de Judá.

1 ¡Dios, Dios mío eres tú! ¡De madrugada te buscaré!

Mi alma tiene sed de ti, mi carne te anhela

en tierra seca y árida donde no hay aguas,
2 para ver tu poder y tu gloria, así como te he mirado en el santuario.
3 Porque mejor es tu misericordia que la vida,

mis labios te alabarán.
4 Así te bendeciré en mi vida; en tu nombre alzaré mis manos.
5 Como de médula y de grosura será saciada mi alma,

y con labios de júbilo te alabará mi boca,
6 cuando me acuerde de ti en mi lecho,

cuando medite en ti en las vigilias de la noche,
7 porque has sido mi socorro y así en la sombra de tus alas me regocijaré.
8 Está mi alma apegada a ti; tu diestra me ha sostenido.
9 Pero los que para destrucción buscaron mi alma

caerán en los sitios bajos de la tierra.
10 Los destruirán a filo de espada; serán presa de los chacales.
11 Pero el rey se alegrará en Dios;

será alabado cualquiera que jura por él,

porque la boca de los que hablan mentira será cerrada.

Gracia

I am woefully behind on posting! Seems like life continues to thunder by at outrageous speeds these days...this last week we celebrated two birthdays in the family! Miguel's birthday was last Saturday, the 16th (sorry, no pictures, it was a rather low-key event! I made lasagna and pound cake and we watched several episodes of Andy Griffith with the kids). Gracia's birthday was a bigger event on Tuesday.

On Monday, I baked cupcakes and the birthday cake for the next day. But then I realized that we should probably celebrate as a family on Monday night since Micah's baseball practice on Tuesday would interfere with supper...so I scrambled to wrap her presents and get the cake frosted before supper. She was pleased with her presents, mostly things sent in a package from some friends back home...that night, Gracia asked me to tuck her in as usual and we read the story of Esther from her little picture Bible. Afterwards, we talked about the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers, which got us onto the topic of leprosy, sickness, death, and then heaven/hell. As we talked, I realized that Gracia was being unusually vocal about spiritual things-it's not that she hasn't been interested before, just not very vocal about it. We talked about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then I asked her if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus into her heart...and she did! What a precious moment for me to embrace her not only as a daughter, but as a sister in Christ! And it's neat that she'll be able to celebrate her spiritual birthday every year right along with her physical birthday!

Gracia at one month

Love that smile!

Celebrating six years!

Wearing one of her new dresses to school.

Handing out cupcakes at school.

Jkaile enjoyed the special attention.

Jojo and his friend James.

Waxing Poetic

Poetry isn't really my strong suite, so I was kind of surprised when this came to me the other day...so here it is, for what it's worth... Enjoy! Oh, if you have an idea for a title, let me know!

Toys in the bathtub

Books in my bed

Rumpled pajamas

Quick pats on the head.

Sloppy wet kisses

Read me a book?

One more diaper change

Please can you look?

Cajoling for candy

Squabbles with sister

Can we go to McDonalds?

These shoes give me blisters!

Rocks in the dryer

Bugs in a jar

Dollies and tea parties

Playing at war.

Bruised knees and scraped elbows

Bee stings and bug bites

Campfires and picnics

Can we have Family Night?

These days that seem endless

While my kids are so young

Will so quickly be over

At least, so say some!

I think that they're right

Life comes and it goes

And time passes by me

Right under my nose.

Am I savoring each moment?

Making it last?

Making the most of the time

Before it's past?

Becky Aguirre

A Message for Every Wife/Mother...

Check out this awesome message for wives and mothers by Alan Hlavka...scroll down to the bottom to find the audio messages. You can check out some background on him here (Alan happens to be the father of my blogger friend Joy over at Stay at Home Missionary and I'm so glad she posted this link!).

I listened to this message twice yesterday and it really spoke to my heart. Really, really good stuff!

The view from up here...

Waiting for the Bread to Bake

I'm up rather late waiting for the bread to bake and am keeping myself busy by reading blogs and thinking about possible posts. I normally would not be baking so late except that I will be going to a social in the morning and I wanted to take something homemade. A cinnamon roll ring is just the thing...I should have started it earlier, but needed a nap and then we had a dorm meeting this evening that went longer than expected (but SO much fun!). It meant my bread didn't go into the oven until 9:30 p.m. by which time I am usually heading towards horizontal. Since my posting has been rather sparse lately, though, I thought I'd write a little something...ah, I know, a recent conversation with Jojo about heaven.


Jojo: Mommy, did you know there are diamondth in heaven?!

Mom: Yes, there are!

Jojo: And the threetth are pafed wif gold! (giggle, giggle)

Mom: Yes, but do you know what the biggest treasure in heaven is?

Jojo: Diamondth! (hee, hee)

Mom: Well, yes, but Jesus will be in heaven and He is our greatest treasure!

A few moments of silence...

Jojo: Oh (giggle, giggle), I can't wait to die!

Well, Jojo, selfishly I hope it's later than sooner! :)

Don't think I'm ready for you to walk those streets of gold just yet...

Jkaile

Jkaile is learning to unzip!

Probably to show off his hairy chest...LOL!

Doesn't he just crack you up??!!

Home from church...again...

I am home from church again today...seems like church attendance is pretty hit or miss these days! With the six of us, seems like one or the other kid (or parent...okay, usually me) just needs to stay at home. Today it's Jkaile...he has a terribly nasty cold with watery eyes and green, gunky nose (and face, and shirt, and hair...you get the picture). I am confident that they don't want THAT in the nursery! And there's no way that I will be holding that little bundle of joy for 3 hours of Sunday school/church!!! And we'd have to hold him because he loves to RUN...one time I put him down inside the church building and he made a beeline for the front door (two rooms away!) and was nearly out in the parking lot before I caught up to him...church was full of people standing around and he had the advantage of fitting between everyone's legs...I had to politely manouver my way through.

Last week everyone was healthy and we made a huge effort to get ready. Baths for the three youngest (one at a time in the plastic tub in the shower), showers for the rest of us, fix hair, clothes, pack snacks, books, toys, Bibles, diaper bags, extra clothes in case of accidents. We were just walking out the door when a friend called to say that the church service was canceled because the construction workers fixing the street outside the church building had broken a gas line. Argh! All that work...

Anyway, I decided to read and study on the book of Philippians while I'm home today. One of my favorite ways to read/study the Bible is to print out a portion of Scripture from Biblegateway. Today I printed out the entire book of Philippians in the New Living Translation. That way, I can underline, scribble notes, or highlight to my heart's content! I do that a little in my regular Bible anyway, but I think I feel more free to do it when it's on a printout. And reading a familiar passage like Philippians (one of my most favorite books!) in a different version helps me focus more on the message and meaning of the words instead of it being so "rote".

This is my first foray into the New Living Translation...so far, I like it! I grew up using the King James and now usually read the NIV, so it's interesting to try something different. Okay, I'm off to do some horizontal worshipping. :)

A New List

Jkaile has a fascination with the toilets! We have to keep both bathroom doors closed or else he's in there, quick as a flash, tossing something down the hatch. And it's funny, he often closes the lid (with a bang, I might add, and that's how we're usually alerted to the latest casualty...). So as of today, I'm making a new list over there to the right: things that Jkaile has thrown into the toilet. It's growing nearly every day!

When Baby Gets Bored

Woe to Mom when the baby gets bored! Especially baby who is mobile and can climb and is tall enough to reach items on the counter and there's no other kids around for easy entertainment. Jkaile woke up a 7 this morning, not bad, but it's Saturday and I would have dearly liked to sleep in! The rest of the kids were still sleeping, so I shut their doors and came out to enjoy my coffee and spend some quality time on the computer. Yeah.

So far this morning, he has:

climbed up onto the table

pulled the fly swatter off the counter to swat Mommy

ripped up a magazine

climbed up onto the table

knocked off the stack of papers by my computer

ripped up another magazine

broken up big brother's Lego creation

climbed up onto the table

spilled his chocolate milk

thrown cookies all over the floor (Maria crackers, less you think I give the baby sugary cookies for breakfast!)

knocked the papers off again

climbed up onto the table

And how can I be mad at him when every few minutes he comes running to give me a hug??!!

I finally gave up and this is what Bored Baby is doing now.

Hooray for Bob the Builder!

A little bit ago, I noticed an interesting bulge in the leg

of his sleeper...it's his diaper!

An Interesting Day

Today was an interesting day! It started out pretty good and I thought things were going swimmingly...but then things began to deteriorate about the time we were all ready to head out the door.

Normally, not all of us would have to be ready to go out, but since Miguel is not here, I am taking Micah and Gracia to school every morning this week. And since this was the first day after 10 day break, well, our getting-ready-for-school skills are a bit rusty. :( And today was our organization's Day of Prayer...the language study department was hosting the students from part of the training institute and I was heading out to that.

Right before leaving, Micah got a little creative with brushing his teeth and soaked his clothes...it was too late to change, so I just sent him on "as is"...we're in a desert, it will dry.

I had to come back into the house several times to get things I forgot...I am usually not so flaky.

I asked Micah to shut and lock the gate behind all the kids while I was getting Jkaile into his seat. Not only did he not lock it, he left it wide open so the dogs got out. I was already in the van, so had to get back out, round them up, shut and lock the gate...not happy.

After getting the kids to school, I realize that we didn't have the bag of snacks...I had given it to Jojo to hold for me before exiting the gate back at home (probably not a wise decision on my part, but hey, I was delegating). I race back home in the van (just a few blocks from school) and sure enough, the dogs were already gnawing on it...fortunately, we only lost one small bag of cookies and the rest was salvageable.

Back at school, I realize that I have lost one set of house/gate keys (I had another full set on the van keys, thank goodness). Not good, so I came back to the house to see if I'd left them hanging in the gate. They weren't there and the gate was locked, so I just assumed they were in the van and went on to the Day of Prayer activities.

Day of Prayer was really, really good and a blessing. Miguel had asked one of the guys in the training to lead communion and prayer and we had worship as well. I thought it was neat that he wanted to arrange all the seating around a large rectangle of tables, making it more informal and intimate than having the seating arranged in rows. They also made everyone move around to mix it up a little. Anyway, it was a good time spent with brothers and sisters in Christ and it's exciting to see the integration of cultures and the relationships being formed there. Childcare was provided and it was nice not to have to get up and chase someone down every few seconds. :) (Thanks, Tasha and Cindy!)

Back home, I couldn't find the keys anywhere! I was beginning to worry and thinking the worst, like we would need to change the locks, etc. as I thought that maybe I'd dropped them in the road in front of our house and someone had picked them up? Then I realized that I hadn't yet prayed about it, so I stopped and asked for wisdom. The thought ocurred to me to retrace my steps from when I was recovering the bag of snacks from the dogs and sure enough! There they were in the grass, thank you Lord!

After the excitement of the morning, our afternoon was relatively calm! I fed everyone lunch and then we all had a nice nap, which helped me regain some of my composure...I felt like I had more control over things and over myself and the kids are responding to that in a positive way. I spent some good time with them, even throwing the baseball around with Micah, and then I put them to work. Tacos for supper, washed the dishes,swept and mopped the floor, a devotional...and all four kids in bed by 8 p.m.!!! :) Whew!

So all in all, an interesting day. I hope that tomorrow is more mundane...I could use some mundane about now...

Micah cleaning the birdcage-we are taking care of

parakeets for some friends

Gracia washing the dishes

Jojo cleaning his room

(Yes, those are bungee cords you see on the bunkbed!

A unique way of keeping the boys from falling out of bed. :) )

Muddling through

Here's a copy of an email I sent earlier (slightly edited)...it will catch you up on the latest...

Just a quick note because it's late and I haven't showered yet (can't actually remember when the last shower was?)...it's been one of those weekends! I think I really crashed after Miguel left on Saturday and it's NOT a good time to crash! I have been so tired, w/o energy, achy, have a light stomach flu, headache coming on...the LAST thing I've wanted to do is take care of four little ones who seem to be sucking the energy right out of me! :( Have really had to deal with the attitudes on my part, I am, after all, the adult here! I've had to plead for supernatural strength and patience!

But honestly, the kids have been exasperating at times...so slow to obey, easily distracted while doing their jobs, fooling around,whiny, etc. and patience is quite scarce on my part! I know that we're all a little out of whack with Miguel gone, but we also seem to be lacking quite a bit in the area of discipline, apparently we've gotten somewhat lax in the last few weeks? Not fun to work on by myself! Anyway, have had to apologize several times for "talking rough"...after one time today, Micah asked me, "Mommy, did you get a good sleep today?" :) Guess he's catching on...

It's true, I generally don't sleep well when Miguel is gone (I usually use ear plugs to tune out the noise, but can't while I'm alone in the house) and to top it off, each kid wants to take turns sleeping with me (Gracia didn't last long, as soon as she fell asleep, I put her back in her own bed due to Very Loud Snoring)...I think after each has their turn, I will have to put a stop to that since I need to get the best sleep I can every night. I have been able to arrange for a good nap each day and I can feel myself slowly regaining energy and joy. Today was a better day as I was able to take more control and had a plan for the day...Gracia spent the day with a friend, even down one kid helps! :) LOL!

The big thing today was a trip to Walmart (not quite like Walmart back home, but still oh so wonderful! We're from Walmart-land, what can I say?!). I used up the last few coffee beans this morning...in fact, there weren't even enough for 2 cups, so I scrounged around and found one little packet of coffee, like you get in a hotel? Not great (esp. since it was decaf!!!!), but it worked, so now I'm restocked on the basics (coffee beans, pull-ups, and milk!) and I shouldn't have to go shopping again until Miguel gets back. whew!

Tomorrow Micah and Gracia head back to school and that will help putus back into a regular structured schedule and I seem to handle that a bit better. Crud, I just realized that I'd forgotten to turn off the coffeepot after making coffee several hours ago...can you smell the charred remains of that pot? I think I'd better call it a day!

p.s. guess you kinda know how to pray for me this week, but also could you specifically pray about dreams? I wrote a post about it awhile back...it seems like when I get physically and emotionally 'down', I experience very bad or scary dreams. Last night I had another one and it was kind of terrifying...I will definitely read the Word before going to sleep, but would appreciate knowing that others are praying about it too. Gracias!