lunes, 30 de abril de 2012

The Iles are in town


It's funny how difficult it is to make friends in this life. I'm not talking about people you can hang out with, because even a rock can have those. I'm talking about people who know who you were, who you are, what you struggle with, and even so, still want to talk to you.

I don't have many of those in my life, I have to say. Emerson neither. But I guess that a friend in the eyes of God is way much, much different than a friend in the eyes of Facebook. I have 231 friends in the social network, but ask me how many I have in real life... Yeah, I know. The difference is stunning.

So, this is a post about real friends and how God brings them into your life. I don't have time to tell you my story with The Iles, but you can read my book, when it's finished. And even there, you won't find what made us be friends. 

Mary and I were talking - we had literally many hours to talk, since Michael and Emerson went camping- about how it was we got to hung out, and become friends. She said it was probably the fact that we didn't have children. We met at church, our first church in Columbus. We used to go to their house many times when the children were up, then they would go to sleep, and we stayed very late. So late, that many times Michael was asleep in the couch.  

I hope Elizabeth finds real friends in her life one day. People she can share her life with. Distance doesn't mean anything. The Iles are still in Ohio, but we know what's going on with them. I want Elizabeth to be friends with people that will love her for who she is, not for what she looks like. People that will love her for the things she stands for, not for the way they feel when they are with her. 

I know relationships are tricky sometimes, and even people who really love you hurt you. All I want is that she learns to know who will really love her for her inner-self, just like God does. 

And that just doesn't happen, we have to teach her how to recognize those people.    



Captivated by the park
Lovely Pinga 



So they guys went camping, and we got to stay here with Libby. We talked our lives out, we must have set some sort of record, because my throat was really dry, we really talked a lot. We ate pizza for dinner on Friday.

On Saturday, we drove to have a picnic to Huntsville State Park where Michael and Emerson camped out. We all came back, and had lasagna for dinner. On Sunday we went to Herman Park, and went to Pappasito's for lunch. Libby did great for not having slept for seven hours. 



Libby, Dad, Mom and Baby.
Michael and Mary




Mary and Michael gave us our very first couch when we lived in Columbus. My back was forever grateful. That's a long story to tell, so I won't.

This time they gave Libby her very first birthday present - ever. A camera so she can take pictures like Mommy and Daddy, and a Bible.



Opening presents


This is a really short post, I guess. Nothing that will impress many since I didn't write many details about these friends. I don't really have to.

The Iles know who The Nunez were, who we are, what we struggle with, and even so, still want to talk to us.

Those are enough details to write about them.



The Iles and The Nunez, 2012. We missed Ava and Jesse. 


martes, 24 de abril de 2012

Elizabeth loves camping


There are days in your life that are good; other days suck -to be honest-, but there are also days where you feel that God loves you so much. 

I know it shouldn't be this way, because God loves you ALL the time and EVERYDAY, and you should live your life and you days knowing that He is faithful.  But sometimes, humanly, we allow ourselves to mess that up. We let our feelings decide if God is with us, forgetting He promised He will be, and that His promises do not depend on how we feel, but on His character.

I think, however, that God is so powerful and so merciful, that those days when you feel His love more than anything are to be a shout for joy in your life. Like if God was telling you that He gave you this life to live it, to enjoy it, and to give Him praise in everything you do, every single thing. 

Those are the days when you go to bed at night knowing that if you would die that very night, you would go to meet Jesus with no regrets, and with no "I wish I had..." in you life. You would face Him, and you would embrace Him crying, thanking Him for the life He gave you on this earth, but even more for the life that awaits you forever with Him.

This weekend I experienced those days...

We went camping as a family for the first time this weekend to Wolf Creek Park. It was actually my first camping experience. I have to say I am in love with camping. I guess I was afraid of it because I heard bad stories about it, and I thought it was gonna be bad, I don't know, I had many ideas about it, but the reality of camping made all those thoughts disappear. 



On the way there, it was far  away :)


To start with, I do have to say that preparing for it is stressful, very stressful, if you are married to Emerson. He is just so anal about some stuff!! But I guess that's also a blessing because we had almost everything we needed, except for a pancake flipper that I forgot to pack. 

It was on my list, but when I was packing I got distracted with something else, and by accident I crossed it over in my list, and so it wasn't there when we needed it. But I had an spatula, so there was no problem flipping the pancakes. But wait, that was Saturday morning, so I'll try to tell you the whole story in order.

The trunk was so full when Libby, Dori and I left the house, that I had to push it down to make it close. So yes, we need an FJ. I was telling Elizabeth this morning that one of my BSF questions for last week was if I wanted anything that God hadn't given me yet.

I told her that when I read that question, the very first thing that came to mind was material stuff. And of course that I wanted a house to live in eventually, but that it was okay if we never own one. It is really okay. I always lived in an apartment. 

And I might want a second car, but we are fine now. I mean, not that I was trying to give the best spiritual answer, but honestly, after I thought the question again, all I could write was, "No, I have everything I need."

And that may sound lame, right? I mean, as I kept on telling Libby, people who do not have a relationship with God through Jesus, and even some of those who have it, may not understand that in God you really have all you need. And it is a difficult concept to explain, and even more to grasp, if you have never experienced that before.

Of course I want an FJ, hecks yeah!! Especially after all the possibilities that camping has to offer, but what I mean is that there are more important things in life, like wisdom and joy and love, and the fact that we are alive. I felt so alive this weekend. I was crying this morning as I read Elizabeth the first four paragraphs of this post. 

I really felt that it was okay if I died. I had given my life to God to the best of my ability. I have a wonderful daughter, a loving and caring husband, I have another baby on the way. We all are healthy, we can see, we can feel, we can smell, we can walk. "Not you, not yet", I told Elizabeth, as tears were coming down my cheeks.

I cried because I know I am so very blessed. I told her that people cry sometimes when they are happy, and that I knew it didn't make sense to her, because you usually cry when you are sad, but I told her I wasn't sad at all. 

I had joy in my heart, and I grabbed her by her little head, and kissed her. She pushed me away because she was eating Cheerios, you see, she has no idea yet how much her Mommy and Daddy love her.

I honestly think I need to write for a living, or well, not really, but I am amazed at my own ability to write so much stuff and I haven't even told you the very thing I was planning to say, ha ha ha!! 

So, yes, we need a bigger car. I want a bigger car, but we'll have it one day with God's help. I also told Libby as we were walking this morning about Solomon, and his wisdom, and his riches, and how all that collapsed the moment he decided to be a fool and forego God's wisdom, just for running after the wrong things. 

"If you want to be a fool, be my guest. But my job as your Mommy is to tell you, to teach you how to be wise in this life, how to make right decisions... You know, like Daddy says, you don't want to be an idiot.  And I'm telling you, this King Solomon had everything he wanted, he denied himself nothing his eyes desired, he had everything... and then he lost God for focusing on the gifts and not the Giver."

So, I hope my point is clear, I may want many things, but I am content, very content with what I have in my life.

On the way to pick up Daddy, I got very hungry, and I stopped to have a Quarter Pounder at Mc Donald's... DARN YOU, MCDONALD'S!! DARN YOU!!

It was so yummy, the fries were so, so good, but it gave me the runs at 10 pm that night. 

It was raining on our way there, and Daddy pitched the tent with Chino's help during the break before the next wave of the storm came. It began raining dogs and cats. Libby and I were inside, nothing was really organized. Daddy was bringing all the stuff to the tent. 

It kept on raining, and thankfully he brought the sandwiches I had made for dinner inside. I don't remember if the pack and play was inside already... Oh, yeah, it was. 



Daddy fighting the wind


So anyway, at 7 pm or around that time, the storm hit, I mean the wind, very bad. The rain-fly was blown away because the stakes came out, and all the wind was hitting the tent. The wind was so strong... the storm was so strong that I was scared, and you could see how the tent was kind of like a bubble on the inside, you could see the wind hitting it very hard. 

Emerson asked me to stand on one corner of the tent, while he was standing on the other, just in hopes that the wind didn't blow away the tent. I put Elizabeth on the floor, and I kicked her with my knee when I tried to reach the corner of the tent, then she began crying... I held her really hard, I don't know if she was scared because of the noise, or in pain for my kick, or hungry because it was 7 pm and we hadn't eaten dinner yet... and then I heard my husband say, "WE ARE SCREWED"

Okay, so, there are things in life you don't ever want to hear, right? Like, I don't know, the doctor telling you you have cancer, or stuff like that. But Emerson was the experienced one here. According to tradition, his grandpa was like the king of camping, and he used to take all the grandchildren to I don't know where, and it was amazing, and yada, yada. 

But my trust, my total trust was on him, and then I hear him saying that we are screwed. It is really funny now, really funny. Actually, after everything calmed down, Libby and Mommy were laughing at Daddy, and telling him, "We are screwed, every one for himself", like Michael Scott says in the episode of the fire safety when Stanley has a heart attack... 

She was so happy and laughing, and I told her that she probably had no idea what had just happened, but that we were making memories, and that that story has to be told in every camping trip we go as a family. 

So I was feeding Elizabeth during this windy thing, she ate like half a sandwich, and one banana, but the thing was that during the worst part of the storm, especially after Daddy announced the good news, I remember that all I did was hold her, and I whispered, "Let's pray"

I don't know really know why, and this sucks, but lately all I tell her whenever we see a car accident, or hear of someone having a hard time, all I tell her is to pray with me. And it sucks not because praying sucks, but because I do it so in automatic, that sometimes I feel like it is wrong.

But I guess it is not wrong. Actually, I think it is good that praying is my automatic response to stuff I have no control over. So we prayed... I don't remember exactly what I said, but I remember telling God that we loved Him very much, and that we could see how powerful He was making the wind move like that, and the rain falling down so heavily.

But that we wanted Him to stop, that we were afraid the tent was gonna go away, and that we just wanted the wind to stop. And that if He decided not to stop the rain nor the wind, that at least, He will calm the storm.

I don't really know how many times I told Libby that God was going to help us, or how many times I repeated "It going to pass, baby", I just remember that Daddy suddenly stopped standing on the corner, and the rain wasn't as heavy, and the wind was calmer. I told Libby, "See, baby?? God answered our prayers. The storm didn't do anything to our tent."



After the storm and with a full belly



That night when I was putting Libby to sleep I read to her Mark 4: 37-40, courtesy of my iPhone:

"A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so it was nearly swamped. Jesus was sleeping on a cushion. The discipkes woke him and said to him, 'Teacher don't you care if we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his dischiples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'"

I laughed as I read it to her, because previously we had been joking with Daddy about Jesus waking up in the middle of the night, on the boat, and watching the storm saying, "We are screwed! Everyone for himself!"

But I thanked God for the storm, and for how He had helped us see that He did have control over it. As Elizabeth was falling sleep in my arms, I remember the night she was born. The nurse was coming to our room and Emerson said, "Our daughter is coming", but I didn't believe him. He actually recognized her cry. 

That night I didn't sleep, I was just holding her, and telling her how much I loved her. I told her many things... and I ended up sleeping with her in my arms, because otherwise she would cry. That night I thanked God for Libby, and that night at the campground, I thanked Him again. I told Libby I would not sleep again, if that was what needed to be done for her to sleep because it was very, very cold, thanks to the wind.

But she slept like a rock in the pack 'n play, covered by two pajamas, and two blankets :)


Singing to Libby
Photo after she was out



Well, she slept like a rock, I didn't. It was so cold that I was getting up every hour just to go and touch her hands and her head. I didn't want to wake up and realize my baby had died for hypothermia or something.  

The next day, she woke up as happy as usual, and at 6:20 am. Oh, I forgot. Firday night McDonalds made me pay my burger and fries with a really bad stomachache, and it ended up in tragedy for the people using the restroom during the time I was in there. Poor them, but it was either them or my intestines. 

All I'd say is that having a baby helped me learn how to hold it. I was so ready to push Elizabeth out, but the nurse told me to hold the urge to push, and I did, like for twenty minutes. Thanks to that, it didn't end up in tragedy for me, or my pants on Friday night.

The next morning we played a little bit before making breakfast. Elizabeth loved the feeling of the sleeping bags and the sleeping pads. They are comfy and they bounce. We hanged out with Dori, and took some cute pictures.  



With Daddy and Dori
With Mommy




We started making breakfast, I don't know, around 7 am, maybe. We had pancakes, and after getting ELizabeth her morning bottle, I wished I had brought my blender. I think I wrote a post about my little traitor when I stopped breastfeeding her because she loved the formula. But now, it's like she never knew the thing.

She loves her smoothies. There's this place called Jamba Juice, and we went there once. We drank a mango, strawberry, banana, peach, and cherry smoothie, and she just loved it. After that, I began giving her a smoothie with half a banana, one big strawberry, Yoplait yogurt (the bananas and strawberries kind), and water. Then I added little by little regular milk. 

Now, after drinking 8 oz of formula in less than five minutes, it takes more than ten to have her drink at least 4 oz. But give her a smoothie, and if she's hungry or thirsty, she's done with it in three minutes, tops. 


Drinking her formula
Helping Mom with her hat


Daddy making pancakes for breakfast


While we were making breakfast, we had to put Libby in the pack 'n play. Then I went to take a shower and when I came back, we heard for the first time "Ma ma". Daddy laughed, he said it was out of necessity she had said it, because she wanted me to taker her out. 

It was really windy and cold that morning because of the cold front, but we had pancakes and milk, and bacon. We had a really good morning, and then Libby took a nap. By the way, Daddy thought it was going to be funny to wake her up banging some pots and pans like in that movie Men of Honor, with the guy saying, "I stole a pie, I stole a pie". He didn't bang them very hard, but she did wake up kind of crying.

Sometimes I wonder if we are good parents. I mean, anybody can have a baby, but that doesn't mean you are a good parent. I question myself too much sometimes. I want to be this perfect godly mom, and I know I just can't. 

But we must be doing something right because when I look at Libby, she is this happy, and not only happy, but joyful baby. She is very content, very active, very healthy. Those are God's blessings, and I also know we are molding her and playing a role in the human being she is becoming.

She is really funny.She laughs when the elephant comes (read Daddy blowing his nose), or whenever I change her diaper and pull her legs straight, stretch her arms, and start kissing her armpits. 

She doesn't really cry unless she is hungry or very tired. And when I say tired, she has to be VERY tired, because she can hold it for at least five or six hours without sleep if you entertain her.

I don't feel we've changed to be parents, if I make sense at all. Emerson is still this funny guy that laughs at everything, and he is not fake. I have tried to be a cute mom, but it doesn't feel right. Like the other day, we were watching Harry The Bunny, and I was trying hard to be cute and gentle, but suddenly Bonnie The Bear appeared and I yelled at her, "You suck, Bonnie, you suck!"

We have so much fun with her, sometimes at her expense I have to say, not in a mean way, tough. I'm honestly following God as my example of a great parent. I think Libby is a wonderful girl, but she is my daughter, so what can I say?

Anyway...We had hot dogs for lunch on Saturday, and Elizabeth was so happy all the time. She was just talking and yelling, I don't know if at the birds or what, but I can tell she really enjoyed camping. She did see the birds and was pointing them out. 



Libby taking her nap


We had quesadillas for dinner, and we went to have smores with some friends from church. Libby had an icicle with Daddy, and we took pictures of the birds, our tent, and the view.



Baby posing
Our tent




The view
Mom and Dad







Hungry pink rabbit


We tried to start a fire that night, but we just couldn't. We looked at the stars for a while, and I remember kissing Emerson a lot this weekend. Libby went to sleep like at 9 pm because of all the noise, and was up at 5 am.

Daddy picked her up from the pack 'n play and we slept one more hour together with her on the sleeping pads. We tried to take some photos of the three of us "sleeping", but we just couldn't pretend to be sleeping without laughing, especially because she was asleep. 



Baby sleeping with Mom and Dad


We woke her up like at 6:20 am, because we wanted to go see the sunrise. It was beautiful, and Libby liked it. Well, I don'really know if she could actually realize the sun was coming out or not, but she looked at it. We had strawberries, Chex and scrambled eggs with turkey breast for breakfast.

That day went very slow, everybody left that morning, but we decided to stay and have lunch before leaving.  The weekend was coming to an end, and I felt kind of sad to come back to "reality" but it was so worth it. 



Sunrise with Daddy
Sunrise with Mommy










"I finished cleaning the tent like you asked, Daddy"


Coming back, we prayed that God will bring us home safe, and we thanked Him for the wonderful weekend we had as a family. 

Camping wiped me out, I was so tired... I took a nap in the car, but it wasn't enough. We had Chipotle for dinner on Sunday because there was nothing to eat here since we were away for two days.

In other news, we don't want an FJ anymore. Emerson discussed with me the pros and cons of a Ridgeline, an FJ, and an Odyssey. The last one has the biggest space, so we want that one. 

Ha! Yeah, tomorrow we'll get it... (Where's that sarcasm font??)

I loved camping, and more than that, I loved spending time with my family. I can see myself spending many weekends like this with my children and my husband, just going out and enjoying nature and life. 

Thank you, God, for the life you gave us here, and even for more, for the one that will never end :))
.


















Miller Outdoor Theater


I am a mom who walks in the morning most days, takes Libby to BSF, to the library for story time, or like today, take her to the Miller Outdoor Theater.

I am busy, and I signed my life for more business once this baby in my belly is born. Like yesterday, Emerson told me I should've called Merrith very early in the morning so that she could plan ahead if she wanted to go with us to the theater.

It bothered me that he said that I must have at least five minutes during my day to make a phone call, and he may be right, but in those five minutes I get to breath, and just sit down after being chasing a baby, or just, I don't know, I am busy, seriously. 

This time I'll just post photos. We went to the theater to see Goldie Locks or a weird version of it. It was about the dangers of the chatting rooms and that stuff, not for infants at all. But, hey, we got out of the house, right? 

Merrith and Cory happened to be free to go with us. We picked them up, and when we got there, the place was packed with children!! It is free, so it was expected, but at least we were fortunate we found a place to park at the zoo.


Packed theater
Libby and her friend, Cory


That's pretty much what happened today. On the way back, Libby slept for like 30 minutes, and when we got home she slept again after being awake for 20. She slept for 3.5 hours!!!

She skipped lunch, but two smoothies made up for it, and she had a very good dinner. It's not like this baby is starving :)


Just watching the children playing around

domingo, 15 de abril de 2012

Busy Thursday, Doped Saturday, Smart Sunday


I'm getting overwhelmed with all the things I have to do in my every day life sometimes... Like keeping up with this blog, and taking care of my child, and my other child - Emerson, not the one inside.

So, to wrap his up... Thursday was a busy day because we went walking with Cory and Merrith, after taking Daddy to work, of course, and then we came back and bla, bla, and got ready for Jennifer's Birthday Party and Baptism.

I had forgotten how important baptisms are for the the Latino population. It's not that I don't care about other people's beliefs, but somehow I just forgot that baptism is a big deal if you are Catholic, so big a deal that I was under-dressed to this party. I felt like an idiot... Everybody was dressed for a wedding kind of party, and I was wearing shorts.


Lupita, Jennifer, Libby and me.
Being silly










We had fun, the food was really good, but it was a little bit greasy, and Elizabeth enjoyed Winnie The Pooh. I don't know if the fact that she watched it over an hour before going to the party helped. Could you believe there's no Winnie's shows on Netflix?? Unbelievable!! (I'm so getting like these American people, like everything is a right...I'm kidding, I know I don't get to have everything for granted, not even Winnie on Netflix)


Introducing Winnie to Libby
Posing with her balloon 










Daddy and Pingocha

There's this weird connection you get to have with women if you happen to either be pregnant at the same time, or just happen to have children around the same age. 

Lupita is Jennifer's mom. She invited me out of the blue, and it made me feel special, like, I don't know, just special. I guess because of the same thing with Merrith, the fact that I don't have any friends (This is the part where Emerson begins to play the violin, ha ha ha!!)

Lupita and I were pregnant at the same time, Jennifer is only 5 weeks older than Elizabeth. I met her at Canino's where I buy the fruit from her. I stopped seeing her, and then when she returned to work, in her own space now, we saw each other again, and it's like we never stopped seeing each other. The next week after we saw each other again, she invited me to the party. 

On Friday, however, things didn't look very good to Emerson because he got his wisdom teeth out. When I saw him he was just talking and talking, saying a lot of gibberish about he being the king of the home-brewing community. He looked funny, but more conscious than I was when I left the office when they had mine taken out. 

He even sent some emails to his mom, I guess, and was texting Mr.Bob and sent him his picture. Later that night he said he didn't remember sending Mr. Bob his picture. How would he? He was on drugs, plus he slept the whole afternoon.

He was poking me the whole time I was driving, and he said in his own sign language that his teeth were strong, ha, ha, ha,!! I was mad because he was talking a lot, and they had told him not to talk for at least the first hour, but he looked so funny and cute being an idiot that I was just laughing with him. 


Home-brewing King

Saturday afternoon
Friday afternoon













I know it hurts because I didn't take pain medicine, and I know talking hurts because I made the mistake of assuming everything was okay, and even gave Jeff his class, where I had to talk for two hours non-stop. 

But I heard the other day at BSF that God will never give you a trial that He didn't know you were ready for. In all this, God knew that even though the pain of childbirth was a curse for women, we were ready and more physically capable of bearing it than men. 

I don't even want to imagine how Emerson would've felt with, let's forget about pushing Libby out, just say the contractions I was having the last half an hour before starting to push.  

Finally, and this is what according to Emerson makes my blog unique, today I spoke wisdom to my child in our morning walk. 

We are walking in Coles Crossing lately, the neighborhood in front of our apartment complex. This morning we were talking to God, and we realized we had stopped praying for the house Daddy liked as soon as someone rented it. But then, it came out to the market again, and although it's pending, I realized that sometimes we stop praying too soon for the things we care about.

I'm not saying that we should keep praying for that house, or maybe we should, what I'm saying is that sometimes it takes a long time for God to answer a prayer, not because God is not capable of giving you an answer right away, but just because that's the way it is, but that doesn't mean the answer will be no. 

God hears you as soon as you offer the prayer, but the time for you to get the answer varies according to different circumstances that God only knows. For example, Linda Files prayed for Glenn to be a Christian for more than 20 years. She could have quit praying for her husband, and the fact that Glenn became a Christian 20 years later doesn't mean that God wasn't working in his life, am I making sense?

I mean, God wasn't like just lying around having margaritas in heaven, I guess He was at work, but Glenn got to experience something in those 20 years probably that eventually changed his mind about Jesus. But I mean,  I sometimes just don't understand at all what I think I already know. Because it's just weird, God wasn't gonna make Glenn being a Christian against his will, no matter how faithful Linda was in praying.

So how do you know? How do you know if you should be persistent in prayer or just stop praying knowing, or thinking you know, that God's answer is no. I have no freaking idea. 

The Bible says we should be persistent in prayer, that's all I know, and if you really want something really bad, then I guess you won't stop, because you know that there is power when you talk to God.

Like the other day I was praying for another Spanish student so that I could have more income and be able to save more money. I prayed for a month, but after a month I stopped. God didn't send me anyone, and I kind of felt bad that I stopped, because I felt that I was setting a time for God to answer me. But I felt peace about it. I felt that I wanted another student because I want more money, not because I really need it, you know what I mean?

And if God knows that I don't need it, He probably won't give it to me. God has given me many students in a week when I really needed the money, so stopping my prayers didn't feel like a big deal. I haven't stopped praying though for my safety, or for more important stuff. But I also have to keep in mind that if the answer isn't coming, there might be others reasons, not necessarily that God wants to say no. 

The answer might take very long because God may want to develop my character thru the process of praying for my sister's salvation, or just simply because she just doesn't care about Jesus. And although God wants to save her, if she doesn't want to get saved, He will let her choose her own eternal destiny. 

Well, I hope the point is clear. 

All this was because we realized that we stopped praying for the house, but then we kept on praying for different things we pray about daily.

On our way back, I had a thought that went like this, "Oh, God, I so wish I could live in this neighborhood one day, because when that happens...", but I didn't continue thinking.

I stopped. And the reason I stopped is, I guess, that I was able to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. I was tempted to think like I used to think before, and so the wisdom from God came, and I will try to retell you exactly what I told Elizabeth. 

"You know what Sweety, I was just about to say one big stupid thing. I was telling God that I so wish one day we would live in this neighborhood, because when that happens I would be very happy. But that is a lie, Libby.

You know, even after I became a Christian I used to think that having material things was going to make me happy. When we didn't have a car, I thought that the day we had a car was going to be the best day of my life, and that I would be happy then. But when we had the car, Libby, I was very happy, yes, but only for a couple of days. After that, Mommy was still empty. Even though the way we got our first car was an amazing thing God did, I wasn't content nor joyful.

I used to think, Libby, that there was something that was going to make me happy. But that isn't true. Material things don't satisfy you, baby, the only person that completes you is God.

And even though God is the only one that can fill the void in your heart, Elizabeth, it takes time for you to learn to walk with Him, Sweety.

It's like when you are a baby, and you know this because you are a baby... When you become a Christian, imagine God gives you a pair of legs. But you don't know how to use them. You are a baby, you were born with a pair of legs, but you didn't have any idea what to do with them. But with time, and practice, and help, you began crawling, and now you are standing up, and you will soon be walking, and then running, maybe we will run a marathon together.

It is the same thing with your spiritual life, Honey. When you are born again, God gives you your spiritual legs, but it takes time talking to Him, getting to know Him by reading your Bible, it takes time and practice so that you can start crawling spiritually, and then standing up, and then running. You can't expect that just because you are born again with two spiritual legs, you can run your Christian marathon. No, Paul said that we should train like an athlete does. 

Can you imagine how much more difficult is to run a spiritual marathon, because life is a marathon according to Paul, how much more difficult is to run a a spiritual marathon, than a physical one?? It has to be more difficult, right? Because the spiritual life is much more complex than the physical one...

I don't know, Sweety, I guess this was from God, this was God speaking thru me, to you. And I have no idea if you understood any of this. All I want you to know is that if we never live here, I won't be sad, I know God has a plan for us. My joy doesn't depend on where we live. 

You and Daddy and baby, and Dori, are my life. I love you so much."  

And then we got home.


THE END




















viernes, 13 de abril de 2012

Huntsville Park


"We need a truck", it's what I've been listening to Emerson say for a while now. Or well, more like an FJ.

I haven't felt the need of having a car of my own until just recently. And the need is totally an overstatement. Because I know I do not need a car. We've lived in Texas for almost two years and we've been fine with only one.

But now I have a child, and that child goes to story time to the library on Mondays. And we go to BSF on Wednesdays. And just recently we started hanging out with a mom from BSF and her 9 month-old, whose names are Merrith and Cory, respectively.


So I don't really need a car, but in days like today (this post was supposed to be written a week ago when grandma left, but I've been very busy... Today means Good Friday, Apr 6th, 2012), in days like today, I really want an FJ.


We went to Hunstville Park to have a picnic with Grandma, and we met Mr. Bob, Mrs. Bob, and their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. I've never been to one of this parks before. It's a State Park and there was kind of a lake, and we cooked hamburgers and hotdogs. We had a really good time.


After lunch
Taking a break from hiking


When they left to see the Bluebonnets, we took a long walk thru one of the trails, and I had the opportunity to see the campsites. By the way, we are going camping for the first time next week with people from church. 

I just felt in love with this place, not especificlly with Huntsville Park, but just the place, like in love with the idea of camping and spending time with my family there, doing nothing, just making memories, and teaching them about nature and the God who created that.



Daddy showing her the food
Libby being silly


So, yeah... it would be nice to have an FJ so we could go camping often and bring ALL we want to bring without leaving Dori at the Spa, especially with Baby #2 who's on the way.

Yesterday, Elizabeth opened the cabinet locks that Emerson bought. That is actually yesterday, Thursday, Apr 12 th, 2012. I was taking a shower to go to Jennifer's birthday party and she was outside, just chilling on the exersaucer, and playing with the doors.

I heard noise, and I actually though that it would be a long ways before she could open them. Yeah, more like one minute. I made her do it five times in a row just to make sure it was no coincidence. No, it wasn't. She knows how to open the lock. 

So this girl Merrith is a really nice 31 year-old mom. I met her at BSF because Cory and Libby were in the same class. She invited me to story time and we started going at the 10:30 session, but then changed to the 11:30 am so we could meet them.

I guess it's just funny how God works out every little detail in your life. I'm not saying God solves your life, because I believe you also have a brain to use, make decisions, and do something, but God is in control of every circumstance and knows your sorrows.

I had been very sad lately about not having a real friend since I moved to Texas. I had been trying to get together with some girls at my church, but even there, it seems like everybody has their own little lives and do not want to be interrupted. 

At one of the women's meetings they said that we should be looking for opportunities to share our struggles, and just help each other. I saw a post on Facebook from a lady at my church who said she was struggling with something I was familiar with, and I tried to contact her, but I didn't get a real response.

I know it is difficult to trust people, but then why in the heck would you post about your struggles in your relationship with God asking for people's advice!!??  

I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting, but it's not the first time something like that has happened to me, and I was sad that I do not have real friends. I am alone in this.

I talked to my BSF group leader and she told me she knew what I was going through. She said she was very lonely when she was a stay at home mom. It is a joyful experience being a mom, but it can be a very lonely season, too, if you do not have another woman or women there, just to hang out, and especially someone you can relate to.

I actually made a That-God-would-send-me-a-Christian-woman-friend-A.S.K. Those are things you want the women in your group to pray for you during the week. From Ask, Seek, and Knock (Matthew 7:7).

And I honestly forgot about it... But Merrith told me on Wednesday that she would like to join us for a walk on Thursday morning, and we went walking. It was really cute to see Cory and Libby on the jogging stroller. 

Merrith is funny, she seems very authentic, and she drinks beer, that's a plus :)

It's not like we are best friends, but at least, I get to hang out with someone, you know? Friendships take time, and I hope this friendship will develop over time. 

So other than that, and that some times I'm afraid my baby might be a genius are all the things I have to say. 

It's just I've never been around other children Elizabeth's age, and the cabinet locks, and stuff that she does out of the blue really surprises me. 

Like, before we went to the party yesterday, she started trying to pass one object from one hand to another but behind her head, behind her neck. And I saw her, and keep on showing her how to do it, and she would smile and keep on trying.

She also takes the remote and points it out toward the TV like trying to turn it on. I guess that's what she sees.  She also takes out her toys from her bin, and puts them in, again and again. And she's signing more, milk, all done, and thank you

Well, she still needs to know when to sign each one, because if we are eating she can sign all done, and then sign that she wants more. But still, if she hears more, she signs more.

Anyway... if she is a genius, she still has to obey Mommy and Daddy, and even more, she has to know about a God who blessed her to be a very smart little girl. A God that died for her because He loves her.

 I guess I could keep on writing about the next days, but I would rather make another post.



My genius... not really so much (~ Michael Scott)