Our Journey (Nuestra Experiencia)

I'm back!!!

2009-09-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I hope you all didn't give up on me. I am finally back in touch with the world. After 9 months we finally have internet! SLOW internet, but it is internet. You learn how to appreciate the was internet, emailing, blogging, facebooking keeps you in touch with friends and family.

Anyway, so here is the update. We are living in Mexico, at Casa Hogar an orphanage across the border. I work in McAllen, Texas at Rio Grande Regional Hospital as a nurse on a Medical Telemetry floor. I absolutely LOVE it. The hardest part is leaving my boys behind. But, I only work 3 days a week so sometimes it doesn't seem like work:)

My boys are getting big. Guillermo will turn 3 in October and Cisco is 9 months already! They are such a joy. Francisco and I celebrated 4 years of marriage August 12th. We are adjusting to life here. It's definitely different. We do miss Iowa. We miss family and friends and hope to go back one day. But, only the Lord knows what the future hold for us.

Friends, PLEASE keep in touch with us. My new email is morenomeghan@gmail.com and we are on facebook too! Email me and I can give you our new phone number as well.

We LOVE you all!

Shopping in Reynosa. Our single stroller turned into a Double:) We're cheap.
Buds. My beautiful boys.

Introducing....

2009-02-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Guillermo Emanuel Moreno. He is a ball of energy and brightens my days. He is my brown eyed boy. Absolutely love him!

Meet...

2009-02-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

Francisco "Cisco" Isaac Moreno. Isn't he a beauty. He is my blue eyed babe.

Update with pictures....

2009-02-06T21:28:00.001-08:00

So folks here are a slew of pictures for you all. Hope you enjoy them. Oh yeah and about today...not sure if I passed. I feel really bad about the test, just praying that I passed.

Cuddling together to watch a movie.

I surrender
Chocolate puddding man.

My crazy carnivore.

Francisco playing with the kids at the orphanage...

Guillermo has a crush people....I am serious. I find them holding hands sometimes!

Munchin on some goodies and watchin a movie together

Loving on his little bro

Proud daddy

Proud mommy

I'm back folks...

2009-02-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

That's right. I'm back to the blogging world. Only because I am visiting Miss Emily Ward and she has connection with the internet world.

By the way....we ended up naming our son Francisco Isaac and we call him Cisco. I will have to post some updated pictures of our family before I leave Austin.

If you are reading this...PLEASE pray I take my nursing boards tomorrow (Friday) at noon. I NEED to pass them!

We have another BOY folks

2008-12-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

So there you have it. Yes, last night (Saturday) at 8:30pm our new baby boy was born, weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20 inches long. He is a beauty....I absolutely love him.

It was quite the experience. I was induced that morning and let me tell you people, I forgot what it was like to give birth. It is a lot of work, but worth every minute of it.

I won't give you all a detailed sotry of the birth of this guy, but I will give you a picture:) And we still do not have a name...so I will let you all know when we decide.

Enjoy!

We are moving...

2008-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

If you want to know the details feel free to email or call me and I will fill you all in. But, for the post...well these pictures were too cute not to post. My son is a laid back guy and goes with the flow, therefore he is not bothered at all when he has to eat amongst many boxes!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and if you think about it please pray for his transition and all the change going on in his life.

Guillermo is wiggin' out!

2008-12-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here is Guillermo with my mom's wig. He would make a cute girl:) Francisco would be so mad at me for posting these pics because he doesn't want his boy lookin' like a girl. Oh funny. Anyway, Guillermo is super fascinated with my mom's head, her hats and her wig.

I am thankful

2008-11-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

There is so much I am thankful for and I just want to share with you all.

First, I am thankful for Jesus and the fact that we can have a relationship with him and live eternally. How incredible is that? I am thankful for the opportunity that He has given me to be a wife to an incredible man and a mom to my sweet boy and the baby on the way. I am tahnkful for the trials He has given me, so that I may grow closer to the True One. I am thankful that he cares for me. He provides for me in every way. I am thankful for much.

Happy Thanksgiving to all:)

Pictures

2008-11-18T21:22:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I was looking through some pictures tonight and could not help but post these. It's amazing by just looking at pictures how much you are reminded of the sweet blessings in life. I hope you enjoy.

Our sweet boy that the Lord has entrusted us with...

He loves to be with his daddy....

Last, but certainly not least. My husband and I (pregnant lady sitting on the pumpkins..probably smashing them:)

Another Boy!

2008-11-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

My sister gave birth to her 3rd baby boy Monday November 10th, 2008. His name is Asher Tait born at 8 pounds 6 ounces! I don't know how she does it...such a little lady giving birth to these big boys!

Unfortunately I am having trouble downloading the sweet pictures they sent me.

Here are some fun facts:
My sister's second son (Caedmon)is 6 weeks older than Guillermo.
My sister's third son (Asher)will be 6 weeks older than our second baby.

All the girls in our family are having boys and all the guys are having girls.
My sister has 3 boys, we have 1 (not sure if we have another one on the way or not), my cousin Brittany has 2 boys (she just gave birth to her second 2 days before my sister, and my other cousin Camie is going to have a boy in Feb. My brother has a girl and my cousin Brandon has 2 girls. What is up with that? There are a total of 7 boys in our family! How fun our get togethers will be! People are wondering if Francisco and I will break the trend with this next one. I guess we will just all have to wait and see:)

Happy Birthday-Belated!

2008-10-07T13:18:00.001-07:00

Here's a late shout out to my baby! He turned 2 on Monday October 6th. What a complete joy he is to me and I love everyday I get to spend with him. Right now he is copying everything we say and he loves to go to the bathroom in his potty only when one of us is going to the bathroom at the same time:) One thing I absolutely love about him is the fact that he loves to serve. I will change his diaper and right away he wants to throw it away for me. If I have groceries he runs to help me. He picks things up after me and puts them where they should go (makes me feel a little lazy sometimes:). He loves to take showers. He loves to sing and dance and make us laugh. He loves hugs and kisses and he absolutely loves time with his dad. Oh yeah, I can't forget...he loves to play doggy. Oh yeah and sometimes the part I take foregranted that I am so thankful for...he eats anything I give him! I have never had to make him "kid" food...he always eats what we eat. Some of the eats he likes that we have are: chili soup and taco soup (dipping crackers in them), tortillas, chimichangas, sandwiches, almost any kind of meat, especially chicken and sausage, eggs, bananas, yogurt, bran muffins, etc. Seriously this kid eats things you would think kids don't eat. It makes my days much easier and I love when he says, "mmmmm". It is the greattest compliment to my cooking:)

No one ever told me it would be a blast to be a mom! I love it. I love him. Happy Birthday to my little bean.

Finances

2008-10-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have to share this site with you all....
www.daveramsey.com
Okay maybe all of you have already discovered it, but I just did! My neighbor shared it with me and seriously he has some great simple plans to get out of debt and to save. He gives an order to finances, something I sometimes think is hard to get an order on. He is very wise...so it would be very wise to check his site out:)

Also, he gives his strategy for the economic crisis today and how he thinks it can be improved without having to approve a bailout.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it as much as I do:)

My Guys

2008-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me just take a break from my summer update posts and just tell you all that these guys are so stinkin' cute. Seriously these two rock my world. I love them to pieces. The Lord is so good! He just fills my life with joy. Thank you Jesus for these two precious guys. They are so unique, fun and outrageously handsome!

Summertime Part 1

2008-09-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Okay you all, so here is my first attempt to update everyone (with several blog entries) on our summer. I am starting with the most recent. We have had a fast paced summer and a whirlwind of things happen. So there was hardly any time for blogging:)

This particular post is mostly of Guillermo. I guess I just take a lot of pictures of him! He is a complete joy to me and everyday that I look at him he makes me smile and thank God for the blessing of a child and another one on the way! He has a great personality and makes me laugh (who would have thought a 2 year old would make me laugh so much?). Anyway, enjoy the pictures...each one deserves it's own frame:)

The following picture is of Amira, a baby I take care of during the day. It's a blessing to be able to earn money while I stay home with my son, but it's also a blessing that he has other children he can love and be around. He absolutely loves her! He's going to be a great brother.

My goofy boy...

Guillermo trying on my flip flops...it made me laugh that he actually put one of them between his toes on his left foot. He totally has my feet and legs...Francisco constantly tells me.

Trying to get him off the bottle...the longer you wait the harder it is...trust me! Nonetheless, this is a cute photo.

He fell asleep at the hospital while visiting my mom. He was so tired.

Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for the rest of the summer:)

My Mom

2008-08-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

If you all want to follow the scoop on my mom you can visit the carepage at....www.carepages.com/carepages/ColleenWren

Anniversary

2008-08-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

So yesterday (August 12th) my husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! Here is what I said: "Wow, time flys by, it doesn't seem like 3 years ago!". Here's what he said: "I think it's gone by slow, in fact, I thought we were celebrating year number 4!" Ha! I had to laugh. He had to explain. What he said he meant was that after having a child who will turn 2 in October and another one on the way....it SEEMS like it should be longer:) Well, we did only have 5 months of being newlyweds before I got pregnant...so I can see what he means:)

Anyway, I love this man! As I was explaining to him, there isn't one reason why I love him. I can't truly say, "The reason why I love you is because you are a great husband." I realized yesterday there are so many reasons why I love him. They are all wrapped up into his character and who he is....and I love him for him. Honestly...marriage is hard, the hardest commitments I have made (next to being a mother and there are days I would love to have a boxing match with my husband, but I am so in love with him. He is the greatest friend I have ever had and he is so patient with me as I make many mistakes. So anyway, I made a list of just some of the things I love about my husband. Here it is:
1.) He is so creative...there are pics for this one. But honestly....my husband can see something and build it and it's better than if I were to go and buy it. I love this about him!
2.) He is a HARD worker.
3.) He is funny.
4.) He loves having fun and he loves to play with his son.
5.) He loves Jesus.
6.) He loves me and makes me feel beautiful inside and out.
7.) He's Mexican and still does things the Mexican way. This one I really love! He knows how to live with what he has. He never forgets what it was like to live off of beans and tortillas and he appreciates every time we have a choice to eat what our tummy's desire. He always thinks about his parents and family in Mexico and his heart is still half there. He teaches me so much about life. (A picture for this one too:)
8.) He is so good looking (A picture of this one too:).
9.) He is humble...quick to say sorry and even quicker to forgive.
10.) He's such a good leader. I know when I follow him (which sometimes is hard to do because I like control) I will be well taken care of and he won't lead me astray.

**Okay now I have to explain our night. Thanks to some friends we dropped Guillermo off and we went to Texas Roadhouse to eat dinner. After they sat us down, we realized from my side of the booth we could watch America's Funniest Home Videos. We love that show. Mostly because we just like to laugh at other people doing silly things. We don't have cable so this was our chance to watch it and it is also the best show to watch without sound because we don't find the host of the show very funny, so we don't feel like we are missing much. Anyway, so Francisco moved to my side of the booth and we had to laugh because I think the waiter was thinking we were a little cheesy. We shared a Cactus Blossom, a hamburger and a soda...and on top of it we were sitting on the same side of the booth. Little does he know (and he doesn't need to know:) we are just cheap and we think the best way to eat out is to share everything.So we went to pick up our guy. We headed home, put him to bed and we started a fire, to roast marshmallows. A little bit into our good conversation and fire our neighbor started letting off fireworks! I tried to fool Francisco into thinking that I set it all up (since it was my year to plan our anniversary),but he didn't fall for it. What a great night.

And now for the pics...

The first ones are to show is creativity. He made me a flower pot from my parents old deck wood. It seriously is so awesome! We had neighbors coming over telling him he should sell them:) I agree.

These next pictures are of the fire pit he made. I would have bought one of these that's how much I like it. Thanks to the Kampmans and their neighbor he got the idea to find a tire on the side of the road and use the inside or rim (I'm not good with cars, so I can't tell you the exact name). Then, for legs he put plant hooks that I had laying around the garage on the bottom and then he spray painted it with a black fire resistant paint. It looks so cool! And we have enjoyed making s'mores at night.

Here is a picture to show his Mexican side. We wanted to plant a garden, but we didn't want to purchase a till. So he found an old bicycle and used the handle bars on down. I can't explain this one...it is nothing I would have thought of in my entire life. But it works!

And last but not least here is my sweet husband...being goofy. What a handsome man the Lord has given me! And that smile! **So that is it for my long post! What a blessing to know I get to share my life with him. I am so thankful.

Little Helper

2008-07-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my pictures and realize I have so much catching up to do as far as sharing with all you bloggers I can't really see:) This is what is so funny to me....I check peoples blogs more than I call or visit them....I guess it's a way to keep in touch:) So I will leave you all with pictures from a trip to Wal-Mart to buy diapers. My guy is a helper (and mommy loves that!). He wants to help me carry lots of things even if they are beyond his strength to carry, he tries his hardest to pick it up. He also throws his own diapers away and he picks up after me (if I leave the wipes sitting on the floor or on the couch, he picks them up and puts them on the counter where they belong:) Anyway, so here he is wanting to carry his diapers out of Wal-Mart. He got lots of smirks and "oh so cute", so I am sure that was what was keeping him going.

Check it out...he's biting the diapers...I think to help him keep a hold of them:)

He still did not want to let them go when Francisco picked him up. In fact, he held on to them even in his car seat the whole way home. What a hoot!

I'm a follower!

2008-07-25T09:14:00.001-07:00

So thanks to Em....I feel like a new blogger woman! :) I had to jump on the wagon:) Seriously, I love these new FREE blog designs. I especially picked this one....because my favorite color is green and also because I think it looks like it is wrapped in a gift...and that is exactly how I feel about this life the Lord has given me and everything I am able to experience is a gift from the Lord. Anyway, here is where I got the new blog design:
http://aquapoppydesigns2.blogspot.com/

The Shack

2008-07-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a book to read, I HIGHLY recommend this one! It is a book that uses a fictional story to try and illustrate the trinity. I am so wrapped up in this book. The story is a great one and the way the author brings in the trinity to illustrate it....it is truly captivating and amazing. I already need to go back through because it is full of a bunch of good stuff! It has helped me understand more of God's character. There is more info about the book and the suthor at theshackbook.com.

My Dad continued...

2008-07-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

So, my dad is still in the hospital and they are saying probably 1-2 more weeks he needs to be there. He fractured and sprained his pelvis and he also broke off a bone that comes off his vertebrae. Besides that he is very bruised and sore. He currently can't walk and he is also in a lot of pain. On top of it he is extremely sad that he may not be at home next week when all of his children and grandchildren will be in town visiting. Pray for his strength...that he would be strong to walk and also pray for him emotionally. I will keep you all updated.

My Dad

2008-07-06T01:28:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my dad. On Saturday evening he fell off a ladder. It was a far fall. The Lord provided my mom with some good neighbors of theirs that were close by at the time to help call for help as she was a little shaken up.

No one likes to receive news like this, especially when it hits so close to home. As of right now, the thing I know for sure is he did break a vertebrae and they are concerned about his pelvic area. He is in a lot of pain as I am sure you can all imagine.

Please pray that the Lord would heal him, quick. Also pray that through this time he would find comfort in the Lord and be able to rest despite his excruciating pain. Also pray for my mom, that she would hold up okay for him and be able to rest.

I am still trying to find my place in all of this, as I want to jump in the car right now and go help out, but I have a job to do on Monday and a son to take care of. I love my dad and I want to be there like he has been there for me.

Thanks for praying blogger buddies:)

He delivers

2008-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

So I told him what I wanted....and he delivered! So I think he overdid this one a little...but I'm not complaining. So we aren't a hug fan of Mexican restaurants (surprised? I was a little too..but when you've tasted the real stuff from Mexico, there is just no comparison). Anyway, I am addicted to the chips and salsa from a restaurant located by us (Plaza Jalisco). Seriously folks...I could drink the stuff (Francisco tells the workers there that his wife drinks the salsa so that is why he has made frequent trips there:) Anyway, check out the picture...it's a glass of salsa and a huge bag of chips. I think he wanted to avoid trips to this restaurant for a while:) To say the least, I craved and he delivered. What a man!

PS Don't pay attention to the grease spots on the bag...it's okay the chips are fat free! ha!

A little different....

2008-05-16T20:47:00.001-07:00

So pregnancy the second time around is a little different. With the first one I could rest when I wanted and puke when a wanted. Now...hmmm...just a little different. I now just make it to the sink in time to vomit while I pee my pants at the same time (that's right Emily Ward...you are doomed on this one:) I vomit and pee at the same time). Also while all this is going on, my son is playing between my legs and tends to think I am a jungle gym. It is quite interesting.

I live from nap to nap and hope I have enough energy to tend to my son and the other children I take care of during the day. When I feel sick all of a sudden I stick a movie in and lay on the couch while my child jumps all over me.

So yes, my second pregnancy is just a little different:) I hope I survive past my first trimester.

Guess What?

2008-05-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

3 Amigos

2008-04-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

Don't these guys make the cutest 3 amigos:) So sweet. This picture just makes me want to squeeze their cheeks.

Brokeness

2008-04-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. I have a broken nose. And yes my 18 month old son did it. Let's just say I hope this is not the beginning of all the pain he is going to cause me in my life:) No one told me this was part of motherhood...but I guess anything can happen!

**Tomorrow, Monday I am suppose to get it fixed...please pray for me. I am scared:(

I'm missing you today

2008-04-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's so strange to think that she is gone. I loved my grandma and I loved spending time with her. Sometimes we would just sit together and say nothing, but it felt comfortable. She was my friend. I am missing her today. I will forever cherish her and the time we spent together. How fast life passes by. I am thankful that my son was able to be with her for a year of his life. I pray he will remember her gentle touch and her sweet words she would speak to him or a song she would hum to him. I miss you grandma.

Just want to share....

2008-04-11T21:18:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to write and share with you all how good and gracious the Lord is. It just hit me tonight (and about everyday) that the Lord supplies everything we need and so much more. Francisco and I smile and sometimes get a chuckle out of the way the Lord works. We are considered poor in the eyes of the world. We just make enough money to pay rent, the bills and food...the basic needs. But, we seriously live like rich people. It is so sweet to see the Lord provide. Let me share some of the things in our lives that have been given to us by other people. This list blows my socks right off my feet!

1.) Our so comfortable bed (wedding gift)
2.) Our awesome bedroom furniture.
3.) Our laptop
4.) Our printer
5.) Our Kitchen table
6.) sofa and love seat (that are only 4 years old)
7.) T.V. stand and end table
8.) Guillermo's bed and dresser (pretty much is whole room)
9.) A nice T.V. and sofa that are in our basement
10.) Clothes for Guillermo and toys and shoes.
11.) all of our dishes, cups, etc.

Practically everything in our home has been given to us. Now, these are the materials...seriously if the Lord is excited to give us this much how much more excited is he to give us his time. I have a relationship with Him not because of the gifts he gives me, but because He satisfys my deepest needs. He is the reason I was created. I am so thankful for the hope that is found in Christ Jesus. I don't worry about bills, rent, clothing, food, shelter, transportation, etc. because I know from experience that the Lord has never failed to supply us with everything we need. There is so much more to this life than materials, but I am also encouraged when the Lord blesses us with things we never even dream of having.

Precious

2008-04-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a classic. This is the good-bye window. All the kids go there to wave good-bye to mommy or daddy. The one on the right is Lauren. She usually comes once a week. She is a cute one!

My gang

2008-04-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Num!

2008-04-08T11:18:00.001-07:00

Here is the video to his discovery

New Discoveries

2008-04-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

So Guillermo got this candy bracelet from his grandma. He had no idea what it was and actually made his wrist immobile when he had it on. He then stuck it in his mouth, like he does with everything and discovered that it tastes sweet. Num! He says.
So here are some pics of him discovering the bracelet...

So then a few days later he sees me wearing a necklace that looked like the candy bracelet and sure since his bracelet tasted good why wouldn't my necklace? So he dug in...sucking on my necklace and sucking a bit harder thinking maybe it would start tasting better. Hilarious. No pictures of that event. But, I do have a pic of the necklace and you will see that it does sort of look like a candy bracelet.

Mistaken Identities

2008-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just watched the Dateline special on the Mistaken Identities and I definitely recommend watching it. You can get it over the Internet and watch it while you fold laundry:)

I am not sure if you all heard in April 2006 when 2 women got mixed up, so while one family buried the one they thought was their daughter and another sat 24/7 next to the hospital bed of who they thought was their daughter...they discovered 5 weeks later that it was a tragic mix up.

Both of the families are believers and are amazing in their interview with Matt Lauer. I cried mostly at the faith of these two families and the wisdom and truth that flowed from their mouths. It was one of the best interviews I have seen. And I thought if people don't walk away attracted the Jesus I would be surprised. They challenged me in my walk with Jesus and gave me hope. What amazing families and what amazing young women of Jesus.

Felicidades

2008-04-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Congrats to our friends Joel and Luz on their marriage MArch 20th. They are a sweet couple from church/Bible Study. It was cute Guillermo saw Luz (the bride) before anyone else and he just got really excited and starting cooing at her. It was funny.

Guillermo and their nephew showing some love at dinner....

The friends we sat with at dinner. Maria and her son Omar (Rosendo, the dad and Mayra, the daugther were in Mexico at the Casa Hogar for a missions trip.) They are another sweet family we have gotten to know through Bible Study.

So for dinner we went to Plaza Jalisco (behind Wal-Mart). If you ever go, I recommend tacos al carbon. Mmmmm...it was delicious! And a very beautiful wedding.

Marriage to a Mexican Part 1

2008-04-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

So, being married to Francisco I have realized the many differences between the two cultures. Some make me laugh, some make me frustrated and some make me ponder the meaning.

Anyway, I was always brought up to fend for yourself as far as food. Now, we get together my mom cooks and we have big homemade meals. But, for the most part because of our busy schedules we would grab something to eat and run. My mom was not in the kitchen for all 3 meals cooking and making sure that my dad was fed and fed well. Waiting on him hand and foot.

Well, in the Mexican culture it is completely opposite. The woman is slave to the kitchen, but prepares meals with love for each member of her family...often she will eat the scraps because everyone has eatten the food and ran. She is then left to clean up all the mess with not a bit of help. I sometimes wonder how she finds the passion to keep on cooking.

In our marriage, we have had to find a happy medium. Why Francisco is not extreme on wanting me in the kitchen for every meal and waiting on him hand and food, he very much does appreciate being fed and fed well. I think that is one way he definitely feels loved and appreciated.

SO this brings me to my point. I am super willing to cook for Francisco and have meals ready for him, becuase I actually love to cook and see my man happy because of what he is eatting. BUT Francisco is a picky eater. Why he likes many foods from here in the States, he also dislikes many. And I absolutely hate throwing food away. So when I make him something I am taking the chance that he might not like it and then I have to eat it for a whole week straight:(

So sometimes I opt not to cook. Which then becomes an issue between us.

So the other day I attempted tamales (one of his favorite foods) for the 100th time in 3 years. I was feeling ambitious. This time they turned out!!!!!!! YES. I did it, I made them like they make them in Mexico. Let's just say the Lord shed a whole lot of grace on my cooking that night because I had the right heart about it. I have made them 3 times since and each time they taste just as good. I may sound like I am boasting....but let me tell you, after 3 years of failing I am excited to celebrate. I totally pleased my husband with some good tasting tamales! Mmmmm.

If you are unsure of what tamales are. Here is a picture below. You make the dough (tortilla) then you fill it with meat, cheese and salsa and wrap it in a corn husk and then you steam them.

Easter Blessings

2008-03-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

So for Easter my parents decided to come to our place and cook for us. It was a sweet blessing to say the least.

My dad grilled ribs and chicken and my mom made 2 of Francisco's favorite dishes. After lunch my mom and I listened to Francisco and my dad snore as we cleaned up the dishes.

Here are some pics of the day....

As I was uploading the pics I realized that I didn't even take that many pictures. Where's the grandma? Where am I? :) We're there you just can't see us!

Catch!

2008-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

So this one is funny. Francisco and I were doing the "toss a grape and catch it with your mouth" game. Not sure if you all played that with popcorn or whatever. But the point is you throw it up in the air to the other person and the other person catches it with their mouth.

Well we were all done and Francisco chucks a grape at me and it seriously landed exactly how I am pictured. So I wasn't playing, I was just looking at him and this is what the result was when he chucked it at my face. This is the original pic...I made him take a pic so I could prove it to you all. It cracks me up! We laughed for a while after that.

Breast milk anyone?

2008-03-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

So contrary to what some people may think....I am a fairly organized person and I can't stand it when things are unorganized for me because then I can not efficiently do the things I need to do. So anyway, as some of you know I take care of children during the day. Things run pretty smoothly for the most part. Each have their own spaces designated for their things and nap time...so I am not running around trying to find a diaper or pacifier.

Anyway, Francisco and I's room has been designated the room for just the babies. None of the toddlers are to enter....that way the baby's bottles and pacifiers do not get put in the mouths of the toddlers.

Well this week we started taking care of Ella and she is almost 2 months old. Last night I realized (a little too late) I forgot to remover her bottle from our night stand. Just as I looked up my son was downing a bottle of someone else's breast milk. Um, not so cool.

I think Francisco still has not kissed him since. Oh my child...you can never underestimate what he will do. He always makes me more aware that I need to be more organized:) Or maybe more on my toes:)

My boy

2008-03-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Okay what is up with this face? He is definitely my boy:) I love him.

Sylvia

2008-02-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Oh and we can not forget to share pics of Ms. Sylvia Broffitt with you all. She is an absolute delight! We only get her one to two times a week in the mornings, but Guillermo absolutely adores her.

Life Realization

2008-02-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

Now more than ever in my life I have realized how quick time passes by. After having a child I have become prisoner to time. There is just not enough time in my life. I see my baby growing and discovering new things and I suddenly find myself drifting off in the thoughts of him someday marrying and having his own children. I completely skip the preschool, grade school, high school, and I am right on to marriage and children. Oh wow! Despite the fact that this may seem like an obsession, I am glad I have realized that my time hear on earth with my child and others is precious....far more precious than working long hours just to pay for materials I may desire to have.

After what seemed like would never happen in my life, in May 2005 I graduated with a degree in nursing. Since then I have not passed my state boards in order to become a licensed nurse. Although I know the desire is still there I have put that part of my life on hold for a bit. I chose to stay home with Guillermo and in doing so I decided to take care of a few children. I have discovered the passion I have to teach and to nurture children. The Lord has blessed me with a few families and I realize my part in sharing Christ with the children and also the parents. It is a rare opportunity to be able to have a direct impact on the whole family, having one on one time with each person is something I love.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our friends. Guillermo absolutely loves each one of them!

Mackie and Emma (after I did their hair)...they are my after school girls. These girls have become like a part of our family and they love Guillermo so much (the feelings are mutual). I know I will miss them a lot when they no longer need a sitter.

This is Alec and Guillermo. We actually have not seen Alec for a month because he just had a new baby sister...who we are so excited to meet in about a week! Alec is such a sweet kid. He calls Guillermo, "Elmo". That is his way of pronouncing Guillermo:) So cute.

**So my whole point of this post, besides introducing you all to our friends was also to say that I love what I am doing in life. I know the Lord has called me to this right now and I am so thankful. And although I have a huge school loan (that could be paid off easier if I were a nurse), the Lord has not only provided for our basic needs, but he has blessed us richly. He has given us beyond what we need. We never go without food, shelter, clothes, transportation, gas, heat, etc. Francisco and I always say, we live like rich folks without a penny in our pocket. And doesn't that make so much sense? We are children of God and therefore richly blessed. He blows my socks off. We fully understand that we do not deserve any of this and we never entered into a relationship with Jesus just for the blessings he would pour out on us....but we are so very thankful that he does bless and richly so.

La Bamba

2007-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

So I often have people asking me a lot of questions about Francisco and I's marriage and the language aspect of our relationship...so I thought I would blog every now and then about some funny things that happen in a Spanish speaking home. Anywhere here is my first realization.

So in our first months of marriage, I am not sure why but I started singing La Bamba around the house. Francisco proceeded to ask me what words I was singing....of course I responded with "la la la la bamba" (and I stopped because that was all the words I really knew). He laughed and of course I thought it was just at my singing, but when in reality he told me that the song did not begin with "la la la la Bamba" and that those were actually words that meant something. So all this while I grew up (and I am sure most of you too) thinking that it was "la la la la Bamba" when in all actuality the "la la la la Bamba" is "Para bailar la Bamba"...which means "in order to dance La Bamba".

Anyway, sorry if this wasn't funny to any of you, but to me it was hilarious. Let me know next time I see you Francisco and I can sing it for you...it totally sounds alike. Here are the lyrics below for anyone who cares.

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa mi pa ti
Y arriba y arriba
Ay arriba y arriba
Por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere

Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan
Soy capitan, soy capitan

Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa mi pa ti
Ay y arriba y arriba

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
Una poca de gracia pa mi pa ti
Y arriba y arribaAy arriba y arriba
Por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere

Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba
Bamba, bamba

Long Time No Post

2007-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry blogger world for not posting in a long while. So this last month has been a healing process after losing my grandma. Some days you just break down and cry, other days you are just fine and dandy. Life is strange. Like one friend told me at church the other day, there is only one constant in this life and that is change. We can always expect change. Life will never be the same. I think the Lord has really been teaching me this past year that life is short, always changing and I need to be willing to change with it, He is constantly pressing it upon my heart to change. To become the woman he has created me to be and to live this short, ever changing life to the fullest.

So on that note, in this past month (or maybe it's been a month and a half) since my grandma passed away a lot has changed. Guillermo started walking/running and has been growing like crazy. My husband picked up another job and works a lot, but always seems to have time for us. And as for me, my heart has ached a lot and my perspective on things has changed. My feelings of sadness since losing my grandma have grown stronger as the reality sinks in. Through all this change in life, I am so delighted that my Lord never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I do not have to wonder if he will ever change....who he says he is, is who he will always be.

Here are some pics to update you all.

Happy Thanksgiving...
Isn't he the cutest cowboy you've ever seen?

The whole fam...times together are few and far between

Aren't they sweet? Cousin Brighton and Guillermo

My sweet little guy...

This one is funny...he sat on the bow on accident...got up and it stuck to him.

Guillermo LOVES to give kisses...poor cousin Abrie she is getting smothered.

With the Lord

2007-11-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

My grandma passed away early this morning in her home with my mom and aunt and grandpa by her side. There is deep sorrow in losing this precious person, but there is great joy in knowing that because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and imperfections we can have eternal life and I know my grandma is with Jesus.

Sadly, not everyone has that peace when someone dies and not everyone goes to Heaven..so I constantly give thanks to the Lord that my grandma proclaimed Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

Thank you Jesus for eternal life and thank you for my sweet grandma and friend.

Please pray for coping...but most of all for my grandpa, aunt and my mom who cared for their mother until the end and watched her as she took her last breath. It is not easy and they have a long road ahead.

We covet your prayers

2007-10-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

My grandma was admitted to the hospital 4 weeks ago for what we thought was the flu. Since then she has been through 3 surgeries in 3 weeks and on Friday it was decided that she cannot eat and that her options are either to stay in the hospital or go home. She was given only a few days to live. This was hard for her to hear, hard for all of us to hear. My grandma has been a part of my life, she has been a close friend and seriously someone I would call to hang out with on the weekends or when I had a chance.

My grandma has been a great example of someone who loves, someone who forgives, someone who serves and thinks of others before herself. She has been faithful to her husband, her family and her friends. She is beautiful inside and out.

It is hard to wait. It is hard to see her and think we have only days left with her.
She has battled cancer and cancer has won the battle of the physical life, but it has not won her joy, her drive to live, her spunk, her beauty, nor has it won her spiritual life. She will forever be worshipping with Jesus and that I am so thankful for.

If you desire to pray we would so much appreciate it. Please pray for her comfort. For no pain, for no fear for the unknown and for peace. And also for quality of days. She is glad to be going to home to look out the windows and see the cattle over the hill, the pond by her house and the mean jay birds fighting against her favorite cardinals. She is glad to be going home to be with family and the appreciate and enjoy the Lord's creation.

Please pray for my mom, my aunt and my grandpa who are going to be by her side 24-7 until the Lord takes her home. Please pray for their hearts to be comforted, for them to find the peace of the Lord and for them to have no fear as well.

FYI:For those of you do not know and read this, my grandma was diagnosed 2 years ago with end stage ovarian cancer. They did surgery on her and gave her only months to live. After some chemo, she fought the cancer and here she is two years later. There is a lot more that goes into that...but the point is she has outlasted way longer than they thought she was and the doctors have been amazed by her. She not only had quantity, but the 2 years have been quality. She was mobile and able to go places and enjoy life. My favorite part of it all is that she had a year with my baby. We spent lots of time with her and in fact when we go to visit her, he knows exactly who she is and he gets excited. We love grandma, forever.

Mr.Wilson

2007-10-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Wilson's apple orchard with the girls I take care of after school. There is something fun about a tractor ride through the orchard even though there are no apples and then eating an apple turnover and some apple chips afterwards. I loved it! Plus, I could just stare at Mr. Wilson all day long! I know, I'm a little freakish, but he is so darn cute!

The trip to the orchard isn't complete without a picture of Mr.Wilson with Guillermo.

Does he look like he is having fun? He loves tractors and he loves being outside, so he was so happy to he there.

Happy 1st Birthday!

2007-10-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

So this past Saturday (Oct.6th) was Guillermo's first birthday! He is officially one year old....YIKES! The time we started eating when we were celebrating is the time I started to push a year ago to deliver this guy. The sad thing is I think we were all done eating (after having seconds and thirds plus dessert) and he had already eaten his cake and opened some gifts and maybe even bathed and went to bed before the time of his arrival one year ago. There are a lot of things you can do in 2 hours and pushing is not one I had ever thought of! Of course it was the best spent 2 hours:)

The stats on my little man:
He weighs in at 21 pounds and 5 ounces.
He is 30 inches long.
He has 3 teeth (2 on the top and 1 on the bottom).
He loves trucks, cars, and steering wheels.
Some of his favorite foods are: bananas, almost any kind of fruit, meats, graham crackers and of course milk! He loves water in a cup and refuses to drink milk out of any other thing than a bottle.
He loves stroller rides and adores other people.
He likes to growl like a lion (I think he is showing his manly side).
He gets excited to see dogs.
He can play for hours with or without other people.
He says, "hola".
He is fiesty.
He smiles and laughs a lot.
He throws fits when I change his diaper and clothes.
He has no separation anxiety (which makes me wonder about his feelings for me:)
He's a lot of fun!

Here are some photos of the birthday prince:)

And now for the cake (tres leches)....

The next Burley

2007-10-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

So this is the poor man's version of a Burley:) We have wanted a Burley ever since summer started, but just have not had the opportunity to buy one...soooo...this is what Francisco racked up! I love it! I was able to go for a bike ride with my husband and son for the first time! We went to the ice cream store in Tiffin and then to the Post Office.
I know some of you may think we are crazy and that it doesn't look totally safe...but we felt like it was sturdy and Guillermo loved it!

The Sky is the Limit

2007-09-21T04:03:00.001-07:00

Okay here is proof that he has mastered climbing into his highchair. FYI: I was outside real quick to turn the meat on the grill and I looked inside to see where my son was, he was no where to be found. I panicked...looked to my left and there he was sitting in his highchair! He had also just finished eating, so there was no way he was hungary...he just likes to crawl up in there. Even with the tray on, he tries to still attempt it...although it is a little more impossible. I think I have my work cut out for me!
**You got to love the little smile and naughty laugh at the end:)

Did I mention...

2007-09-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Guillermo climbs EVERYTHING!

Rock climber in training?

2007-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

So Guillermo climbs everything! This started a while back, but now he just can't seem to get his fix throughout the day. He is starting to climb things that weren't meant for climbing.

He also climbed into his highchair by himself. This is a reenactment because by the time I saw him and got my camera he was already sat down eating his left over food from dinner.

My Guy

2007-09-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

My guy is now 11 months old. He is a blast. He laughs, smiles, yells with joy, climbs on everything, crawls everywhere, and keeps us entertained. I love each day I spend with him.

Career day care folks

2007-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

So, I saw an add that a family recently moving from Florida needs someone to watch their two girls from 9-1pm. I thought it would be nice to have some extra cash while I stay home with Guillermo until I actually start working as a nurse. So anyway, I emailed the family to ask them if they were set on having a University student and this is the response I got....

Thank you for responding. No, I'm not set on a university student- I mentioned being a student because we really want to find educated people... not career day care folks... to help out. You are a nurse and would be great for us, I'm sure.

Now, I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I was actually offended. I think they were bashing career day care folks and also people who don't go to college. I think I took it personally because I always tell Francisco if I would have met him sooner, I wouldn't have gone to college and racked up school loans...I would have been a stay-at-home mom. My deep passion is kids and caring for them. I just felt like they were degrading. What defines up anyway? Education? What makes us smart? I believe the Lord's plan was for me to go to college and I feel blessed by that, but I don't believe that that is what defines me and makes me who I am. I guess all I am saying is there are a lot of people that can go to a University and graduated uneducated and then there are a lot of people who don't go to college and they are some of the most educated people. I just felt like they were very closed minded. Sorry if this sounds harsh...I was just offended.
That's it:)

Happy Anniversary

2007-08-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

So August 12th, Francisco and I celebrated our second anniversary! Time flys by. I know we are still sort of considered newly weds, but after you have a baby you no longer feel like a newly wed:) It has been a fast two years and I feel like it's a good reminder of how life is so short. We are only passing through.

We are far from normal:)

Bat woman

2007-08-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies and gents,

I was working the night shift and at 5 am I decided to go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I was the only one in the hallway and this is what I saw FLYING at my head!...

I had the creeby jeebies! I can't not tell you how freaked out I was the rest of the night. Not to mention I made eye contact with this beast (although, I know they don't see...I still looked right at it). Just to remind you all...this was in the hospital! Can you imagine? These things carry rabies and rabies kills people! GROSS!

Here she is

2007-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

I promised a picture so here she is...

Abrie Kaylynn Wren
Born July 22nd 2007 (not sure the time)
She weighed 7 something and was 19 1/2 inches long:)

So precious...we can't wait to meet her!

An active boy

2007-08-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Days are busy here:) Our little baby is now a little man:) He loves to explore grandma and grandpa's home.

A good help with the dishwasher

Likes to inspect the chair

Likes to see what is in the bread drawer

Likes to look at himself in the t.v. screen

Loves to climb the stairs

And now loves to try and go down the stairs

Enjoys looking out the window at the plants (I think he's waiting for those tomatoes to ripen)

There is never a dull moment in this house! I love the stage Guillermo is at. He is so much fun.

Garage sales

2007-08-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Okay I think I am officially obsessed with garage sales after yesterday. I was inspired because we stayed the night at Wayne and Marla's (friends of ours) and Guillermo loved the toys they had there for their grandchildren. So, I had some ideas of stuff I wanted to get for him. This was amazingly fun and even more fun to see him enjoy them. Below are some of my fun deals:)

So my first great buy was an alligator teeter tater ($5)

Then this awesome car ($7)

Then the walker ($3) You can see in the background I wore Francisco out with all my purchases:)
Can't quite figure out how to walk with it yet.

**So the previous stuff plus a fun push lawn mower and a few toys including a guitar were all purchased on my first time out without the boys. So I had to go home and get them before I went to other homes.

So this one is way too much fun. On my second time out we went to a neighborhood sale and the first home we went to they were selling this ride for $10, but they gave it to us for $5! Sweet deal, Guillermo loves it and he rode around to the rest of the sales in this thing. It was cute. I am not sure if you can see the purple handle behind but that is what we control it with. It's pretty cool.

So again in the afternoon I couldn't help but go out again for the third time! I found this activity table for $5. Guillermo has been playing with it non-stop.

Plus he loves the box it came in:)
**Okay so I can't fail to mention we went out for a fourth time in the evening and I found a lady who randomly decided to have a garage sale...she sold me a pack-n-play for $10!! I was so excited! It was a FUN day...otherwise non productive, but SUPER fun.

We love you Caedmon

2007-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, first of all I am way behind on keeping all you peeps up to date....so the posts will come, probably in a BIG load.

Anyway, I have to blog about my sweet boy Guillermo and what happened today.

My sister and I made this picture frame of our three boys for our mom and dad. They placed it at the bottom of the stairs as you go to the basement (sounds like such a hidden place for it, but it really does look good:)
Today I was going to the basement with Guillermo to play and he started squealing and going crazy with excitement. I thought, he has never been this excited to go to the basement before. Then I looked at him and he was making eye contact with his buddy Caedmon (the one on the far right). So I stopped and we chatted with him for a little bit...Guillermo was talking and smiling the whole time, totally filled with excitement.

So what do you know, on our way back up the stairs he looks right at Caedmon and starts talking again.

This is amazing to me for a few reasons. First of all, he is only 10 months and the fact that he looks at a picture for seriously a quick second and realizes who it is, is not only amazing to me, but the point that on the way back up (after some time has passed) he can recall exactly where he saw is cousin and look for him once again.

Maybe, I am unfamiliar with at what age they start recognizing and doing things, but he just seems so smart to me.

It was a sweet moment and although he can't tell me I could see the love he has for his cousin.

I love being a mom. It's amazing.

Homeless

2007-07-29T16:31:00.001-07:00

Oh boy! So we are back from Colorado. We came back on Thursday night (July 26th) and on Friday we found out that we had to be out of our apartment on Saturday (July 28th) by 10:50 a.m. We were originally under the understanding we were to be out by the 30th. Yikes! Anyway, after awesome help from our friend Wayne and my parents we were able to be out by 3pm. Needless to say we are extremely exhausted! The place we are moving to won't be ready for about 3-4 weeks...so we are homeless:)
We are living with my parents in Dubuque (an hour and a half away). SO.....we can't wait to have a place to call our home.

A niece!

2007-07-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

My brother Travis and his wife Tiffany had their baby on..
July 22nd (not sure the exact time).
Her name is Abrie Kaylynn and she was 19 inches long and weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces.

We are anxious to see photos! And very excited for a girl to be in the family:)

**We are wrapping up our time in Colorado. Tomorrow is our last day and then we are headed home on Thursday. We are sad to be done here.

Colorado!

2007-07-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

So today we are headed to the mountains. Francisco, Guillermo, my mother and I. Us three will be babysitting Brighton and Caedmon (Tom and Nichole's children) as they attend training...something they do every two years for Athletes in Action. We are excited and know that there are many adventures awaiting us!
**I just pray it is a refreshing time for Francisco and I as well.
Hope to keep you all updated. We will be there until July 26th.
Adios!

Sweet family time

2007-07-13T22:07:00.003-07:00

Uncle Frisco with the two babies

Grandma and Grandpa with their 3 grandchildren

Great Uncle Ricky Ricardo. We love him:)
Great grandma with just three of her 5 soon to be 7 great grand kids

Survival of the fittest

2007-07-13T22:07:00.001-07:00

This entertained us for quite some time. Guillermo and his cousin Caedmon were in the wagon for a ride. First of all Guillermo doesn't know anything about boundaries right now...he can be a little overwhelming to his cousin Caedmon...Guillermo loves to kiss and hug him and lay his feet and half his body all over him.
Anyway, we decided to break out the crackers and oh my watch out! Guillermo downs his cracker and then still goes after his cousin for his cracker. Although in these pics we were testing Guillermo:) We gave a cracker only to Caedmon to see what Guillermo would do....and this is what he did...

**I am a little nervous that this already reveals a little bit of his personality...not sure if it's a good thing or bad:)
And Caedmon...what a sweet soul...as you can see he was so relaxed and without hesitation shared his cracker. Oh we love our Caedmon and I know Guillermo does too. But when he is hungry all love is set aside.

Upside down

2007-07-13T22:06:00.003-07:00

Ever since Guillermo was a little little baby he liked his pacifier upside down...he still puts it in upside down and now he does this new thing with his lower lip covering the bottom. Very funny.

Oh Deere

2007-07-13T22:06:00.001-07:00

My son has a love for his grandpa's John Deere. Some people think it is the color or the bigness of it, but I think it's just because he's a guy:) It seriously is funny though....we put him on the John Deere to sit and then take him off and he cries. Very interesting. We have it on film...I will need to share it. He has had a couple rides on it with his gramps, so he now wants to be on it when we go to their place.
Disclaimer: Don't worry I never left him alone bungeed to the tractor:) We just thought it would be nice if the tractor had a seat belt:)

9 months

2007-07-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

So I failed to mention on June 6th Guillermo turned 8 months old and now before July passes I will mention on July 6th he turned 9 months old! Only 3 months left until he hits a year old:( My baby is growing and it is all flying by. I am enjoying it SO much. Here are a few sweet pics of our guy.

About Guillermo:
-He loves to swing
-He is fascinated with feet...he likes when you scare him with them and he likes to suck on them if he gets a chance.
-Any cable cord is loved by him
-He crawls super fast
-He bangs his head on the ground and doesn't cry, but looks at a frog and gets scared
-He feeds himself for the most part. But he still lets me feed him with a spoon.
-He thinks it is funny when people make silly faces at him.
-Wherever we go he makes friends (and he can't even talk yet!)
-He likes the door stoppers
-He likes his bath and gets mad when you take him out
-He weighs 18 pounds...in the 23rd percentile...definitely doesn't take after his mom:)
-He's already had 2 haircuts since birth
-He loves crackers

-He entertains himself really well

-He does not have stranger anxiety at all (not even a tiny bit)

-He loves wagon rides

-He likes to play with keys if he gets a chance

New Places

2007-07-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

So this little man always finds new things to grab and new places to hide:) Here is where I first heard my pots banging then I walked around the corner to see him here...

Summer fun in June!

2007-07-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Okay since I have been horrible lately at keeping my blog updated....here is an attempt to sum up the month of June. We have had a great summer so far, but like always it flys by! We love trips to my parents place, grilling out, hanging outside, and taking different trips here and there. It's so nice to keep some refreshing air:)
Here are the events in order....

An evening at the Arboretum in Dubuque...a must see if you are ever there.

A lazy summer day

Guillermo's first time to the pool

Celebrating Fathers Day and spending time in the pool

A week long family conference. Here are some of our friends we adore.

The guys hanging out.

Heidi...a girl with a beautiful heart. She helped me out so much with Guillermo.

Heidi feeding Guillermo at the hotel.

Guillermo in our king size bed.

Guillermo playing with his bud, Angelito.

Our Bible Study celebrating Wayne's birthday. Here he is with the guys. We love Wayne!

This is the beautiful face we get to see every morning.
Simply Precious.
Guillermo loves grandpa's John Deere.

Guillermo has been great grandma Donna's side kick. He is fascinated with her walker.

A day outside. Guillermo loves chewing on his dad's ear.

Fell asleep while on a walk.

Ready to eat watermelon.

Visiting dad at work for some lunch.

My cousin's wedding.

Spike.

Giving gramps a BIG kiss.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

So this is a late Father's Day post, but we've been out of town.

It is so sweet because Guillermo loves his dad!
He looks for him and when he sees his face he perks up and gets REALLY excited.
Some things he enjoys about his dad:
-He LOVES to sit on Francisco's neck and kiss his head.
-He really enjoys to be wrestled with by his dad.
-He likes when his dad makes barking noises and funny faces at him.
-He likes when his dad hugs and kisses him.

**I am so thankful for the relationship they have. The Lord has blessed me with a husband who is an amazing father.

Possible sisters

2007-06-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Could they be brother and sister? My mom and grandma saw this baby on the cover of Parenting magazine and thought she could be Guillermo's twin sister. What do you think?
They are both 8 months old, but I don't remember giving birth to two, but I do remember one of my patients at work asking me if I was carrying twins.

So I am not sure if they could pass for twins....although they do have similar characteristics. Now, if I had a girl that cute...I am really not sure what I would do...maybe not let her go in public until she was ready for marriage:) Just kidding.

Anyway, here are 2 others I saw that I thought could pass for Guillermo's sisters....

***The last one is a far stretch because she is older...but they have similarities:)

Virginia

2007-06-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

Our time in Virginia. There are no words to explain it ONLY pictures:) Enjoy!

**My sister and brother-in-law work with Athletes in Action a division of Campus Crusade for Christ. My brother-in-law had to be out of town for 3 weeks due to work...so my sister was home with two boys by herself. So Guillermo and I flew to Blacksburg, Virginia for a week to hang out with her and the boys. What a blast! It flew by!

Lindsay and Krystal

2007-06-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

These two ladies are some REALLY special friends. I was so excited when exactly a week ago from today they were able to come visit us in Iowa City and meet Guillermo for the first time (Krystal also met Francisco for the first time). I wish my time with them would have been much longer, it was too short..but definitely sweet!
**A little side not...Francisco and I started our drywall job on Thursday (see previous post), they came on Friday....the day Guillermo and I stayed home. In the morning we went out there for a few things and then at 11:15am Guillermo and I came home to get around for Lindsay and Krystal's visit. They were going to be arriving at around 12:30, so I had plenty of time to get Guillermo fed, bathed and down for his nap. Then time for me to get bathed, straighten the place up a little and fix lunch. As I got Guillermo out of his carseat and ran into the apartment building through the rain...I stood at our door looking for my keys....where are my keys? Oh no! I left them in Francisco's truck!!! Now, he was not just working down the street....we live in east Iowa City and he was working in North Liberty! I good 20 minute drive for us. I was so MAD. I cried the whole way there and the whole way back and of course blamed it all on Francisco, who had nothing to do with it. I arrived home at noon. Fed my son, put him down for his nap...gave him no bath, got myself bathed and started lunch (that was no where near finished when they came). I was so sad things couldn't be in place for them when they came. But, when they arrived I quickly forgot about the not so important things we try to cram in and remembered the most important thing...their friendships.
I enjoyed my time with them. I miss you gals. Love you.

Lindsay & Guillo

Krystal & Guillo

All of us...

Work

2007-06-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

So here is the first drywalling job that we have officially all done together!
This was SO stressful. My husband needed help, since his co-worker just decided to not work this job. He didn't have anyone he could call last minute and I decided to see if I could be superwoman and help. Mmmm...not so much. I did help, a lot actually, but our son had to come with and watch the whole day....since it was a last minute thing and I didn't think it would be fair to call someone and see if they could watch him the whole day with a 10 minute notice. Thankfully, no one else is working in the house while we are working, but if you are thinking I am a bad mom...save the thoughts....I already felt that! There were no such things as naps that day...maybe cat naps in the car as we went to get lunch and drive around. With all that said, I burned myself out trying to take care of our son and help Francisco hang drywall. I won't do that again. Not at the same time anyway.
**We got the house done in two days. I went and did the whole ceiling of the house with him and the next day Guillermo and I stayed home while he did the rest. I was glad it was all over.

Don't worry..we did not have him in the carseat all day....this was for a brief moment:)

Inspite of it all, he was happy. His smile makes me feel better. Love him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

2007-06-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Okay just like Emily's birthday wish this is well past it's due date, but nonetheless we want to tell her we LOVE her so very much.

Happy Birthday Emily

2007-06-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Em...We know this is SUPER late, but we were out of town. We thought these photos would be appropriate for your birthday wish and ironically were taken on your birthday:) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our friend in Texas. We love you!

First Grill Out

2007-06-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

So we took Guillermo for his first grill out. We were actually the ones to enjoy the food...but he enjoyed the grass! We couldn't keep him away from the grass, trying to pull it and eat it.

I'm back

2007-06-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Okay..I know it's been a while since my last blog. I am finally settling down. Guillermo and I got back from Virginia on Tuesday the 29th of May...so we enjoyed our first relaxing weekend home and then it occurred to me that I forgot my camera charger...so on a low battery I was unable to download pics on my computer and post them. I am pretty sure I owe a post to my mom and friend Emily for their birthdays:) They are coming! It's like a belated card...a belated post.

Time with Great Grandma again

2007-05-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday May 10th Guillermo and I went to stay with my grandma since my grandpa is on the road working. She is still battling cancer and has been taking chemo. On top of that she fell and fractured ribs...so she needs help getting up and around. We went to be with her and we just got back on Monday the 21st. We felt like nomads. But we felt blessed to have the opportunity to be with her:) Francisco was also able to come be with us after he got off work. So it all worked out well. Guillermo loves her and had fun playing with her walker and cane:) He's funny.
Here are some pics of our time....

**Now Guillermo and I are off to Virginia to spend time with my sister and her two boys while my brother-in-law is in Colorado for work. This will be Guillermo's first plane ride ever! Please pray for Francisco to be able to get together with people and pass the time by with fellowship. He is sad to be alone.

My FIRST Mother's Day

2007-05-22T11:01:00.001-07:00

"Happy Mother's Day."
"Who me? Oh yeah that's right, I'm a mom."
What in the world? I forget so often that I am now a mom. I still feel like a kid myself. I'm not sure when it will all become reality. Maybe tomorrow, maybe when he graduates, or maybe it will always be so surreal.

32 weeks

2007-05-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

And here he is at 32 weeks...

Some of his funny faces that I just can't get enough of:)

31 weeks

2007-05-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Okay I need to stop counting weeks because he is getting too old for that now:) But, I just can't help it. He is almost 8 months old!!! Crazy! It has gone by WAY too FAST! It makes me sad thinking about it. It seems like just last week I was waiting for him to be able to roll, now I can't stop him from rolling all over the place.

We love our Guillermo:) We can't imagine life without him. When I found out I was pregnant I was sad about my time cut short with Francisco. But, now that he's here...I am so glad we started early and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Anyway, he is into a lot these days. Some funny quirks about him: He is ticklish everywhere, but especially in his upper thighs, in his neck, and on his back between his shoulders...it is so cute when he laughs so hard from being tickled. He makes funny monkey faces. He is ALMOST sitting up...he does a cute side lying thing, the step before he finally sits. He also is on his knees a lot...like he could crawl any day. If you look at him and talk or smile, he gives you a BIG, sweet smile. He loves toys that make noise and sing to him. He likes playing with lids. He loves attention...being held and talked to. He loves eating cheerios. He whines/cries whenever he sees food because he loves to eat. He likes peas, jell-o, bananas, and applesauce. He still loves his baths. He really likes people. He is sweet natured. He is SO much fun. We love him. What a sweet thing, that the Lord allows us to take part in the excitement and blessing of having a child.
Enjoy the pics!

Some friends

2007-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of a few of our friends...

Our sweet friend Em came to Iowa from Texas. We love you Em!

Guillermo stealing Lily's grandma Connie:)

A day with the Kampman kids, Abigail and Josiah....

She's too cute:)

Guillermo getting mowed by Josiah:)
Not sure what Guillermo is trying to do...maybe give him a hug?:)

Oh so cute. I love these kids. Josiah's smile is contagious.

Last, but not least....our friend Ashlyn Ross. Guillermo is sitting next to her and they were babbling back and forth:) She is so sweet.

30 weeks

2007-05-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

So our handsome boy turned 30 weeks Friday May 4th. We went and spent the day with the grandparents! We love them. Guillermo is very fond of phones, remote controls, anything with buttons, walks in his stroller, rides in the car if he's not hungry, Baby Einstein, talking and smiling at people.

My sweet boy....

Disclaimer: Francisco is not really driving, we just thought this would be a funny picture:)
He loves bath time and especially in Grandma and Grandpa's sink...

Helen Hunt

2007-05-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, last night they had me watch a patient that they thought was a little "disconnected" anyway, he turned out to be really funny actually and he kept calling me "Helen"...."Hey Helen" I was a little confused. Apparently he thinks I look like Helen Hunt. I don't see it. Maybe it's the nose. Made me laugh.

I'm really not seeing it.

29 weeks

2007-04-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

I feel like time just flys by and I get behind on blogging:) I don't know why I like to post that he turned another week old, but I think it is more for my records:) On April 27th he turned 29 weeks old. It is crazy how he now grabs for things. It isn't like a little baby grab, I feel like he gets a good grip and understands how to grab. It won't be long and he will be crawling or walking:) He has been able to answer to his name for a few months now, but it's so cute to say Guillermo and he turns his head. He still loves to bounce, smile, laugh and be goofy with his dad!

Here are some pics...

Guillermo answering to his name.

Guillermo loves shoulder rides. I think his favorite part is eating or pulling the hair.

I thought he fell asleep in his exersaucer, but really he just couldn't stop looking at himself in the mirror. Very cute.

28 weeks

2007-04-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here's my little guy at 28 weeks!

He likes to give kisses and chew on chins:)

This is how he some times likes to chew on his binkie:)

Side view

Sweet smiles!

My Carpenter

2007-04-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Okay I just want to take a minute and tell you all how amazing I think my husband is when it comes to drywalling. I firmly believe we are all created to do something different. Some are just so good at what they do. One of the things I enjoy doing is watching Francisco drywall because he is so good at it, in fact, he makes it look so easy. I remember when we were dating, maybe we were engaged already...I can't remember specifically. Anyway, Francisco took me to work with him and I can remember being so proud that I was dating this man...because he really knows how to work:)
So here is a little bit of his work that he did today at my grandma's house. This was just patch up work, but I am still amazed at how fast, yet clean and precise it is.

This is the before picture. My grandma fell into the wall and luckily hit the part where there were no studs, so she was okay.

This is the final thing, for now anyway, until it gets taped and painted, then it will look like there was never even a hole.
Maybe this doesn't look that hard to some of you or anything amazing, but to me it is something I love to watch Francisco do. I'm proud of him:)

She's a miracle

2007-04-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, 12 days after her accident...Clarissa was discharged from the hospital. She will still undergo physical therapy and she has some healing to do, but this is amazing. When they didn't know 12 days ago if they would be able to save her life, I stand in awe of how amazing our great Healer is. Jesus never changes, he is always the same....yesterday, today and tomorrow, but for some reason events like this make you realize the importance of knowing Jesus. the truth is we don't know when we are going to die. I am sure Clarissa never expected to get in a car accident 12 days ago, that could have possibly taken her life, but I am sure she walked out of that hospital a changed person...not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. There are things that happen in our life, that if we are willing, the Lord will draw us into a deeper, more richer relationship with him.

I love Jesus and I love the fact that he can always give us hope and he is not against us, but for us. He doesn't seek to destroy, but he came to give life. Can it get any better than that? I don't think so.

Clarissa is a miracle from the Lord.

26 weeks & 27 weeks

2007-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am a little behind. Last Friday (April 6th) Guillermo turned 26 weeks old and then yesterday (April 13th) Guillermo turned 27 weeks old. Time is flying by! He loves to jump. That has been his new thing. Every time we put him in his exersaucer he jumps like crazy. Then if he is standing on our laps while we are holding him, he jumps the whole time. He also rolls everywhere. We were laughing because we don't know if he will be motivated to want to start crawling because he seems to get to places he wants to be just fine by rolling there. He also likes eating his foods now...cereal, mashed bananas, meats, etc. and any form of liquid in a glass he wants a drink of. He also loves when his dad wrestles around with him and he likes to relax watching Baby Einstein. We love him. He definitely keeps us entertained.
And now for the pictures:)

26 weeks....

27 weeks....

Accident

2007-04-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin Clarissa (the one that is a hairstylist) and her husband Brad. I love this couple. Brad reminds me a lot of Francisco and he makes me laugh. Clarissa is someone you can't ever find another like her...she has spunk...so to say. She's good at what she does and they are both young with dreams and passions.

Sunday night they were involved in a head on collision just a mile from their home. The ambulance arrived in 40 seconds only because it was headed to another accident. They came upon them and put Brad in the ambulance while air lifting Clarissa to University Hospitals. There she was operated on twice before 8am Monday morning to try and stop internal bleeding. She was intubated and sent to the SICU (surgical intensive care unit) where she remains. Brad is very sore and swollen and both of his knees were hit pretty bad, but they are releasing him today. Clarissa on the other hand has a lot of recovering to do. Yesterday she was signing and today she is writing. I know she is going to pull through. Please pray. Pray for her and Brad. Pray for Clarissa's parents (Mark and Missy) and pray for Brad's parents (Brian and Michelle). Pray for glory to be brought to Jesus's name. And please pray for full recovery for her and Brad and pray for Brad to not have any guilt about what has happened. If the ambulance had not been there within 40 seconds Clarissa would probably not be here today because of all the internal bleeding. Either way the Lord remains faithful and good. Right now the Lord is showing his strength through Clarissa. He has made her uniquely and beautifully and through all this I already am seeing her shine:) We love you Clarissa and Brad. Hugs and Kisses to you both.

Bounce!

2007-04-03T14:40:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would give you all a chance to see Guillermo in action!

25 weeks old

2007-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Guillermo turned 25 weeks old last Friday (March 30th).

I gave him a bottle to see what he would do...and he could hold it all by himself:) He thought that was fun.

We went to visit great grammy again...

very sweet...

Then we saw our cousin Caden and he spent the night with us. That was fun.

We also got to spend time with great uncle Mark.

and great aunt Carla

Then, at the end of the weekend Guillo got to see grandpa!

Oh yeah, grandma was with us the whole weekend and Guillo got to kiss on her..he likes that!

**We had a busy, but blessed weekend with my grandma and mom:) We love spending time with family.

First Haircut

2007-03-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

So today Guillermo received his first haircut by his cousin Clarissa. Clarissa is an awesome hairstylist and cousin...so we are so thankful Clarissa was able to cut his hair. After looking at the pictures it was a much needed haircut:) Thanks Clarissa! We love you!

Before....

After....

Yeah! No more Elvis side burns and rat tail/mullet:) He looks so handsome with his new haircut.

24 weeks

2007-03-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (March 23rd) Guillermo turned 24 weeks. He's almost 6 months! Yikes! I guess he still seems like a newborn baby to me...he still doesn't sleep through the night. He wakes up every 3 hours....some would say let him cry it out...I've tried that, but he screams like someone is hurting him until he eats!! We also continually try feeding him cereal and now I've tried some other baby food...and he just laughs and thinks it's funny....he doesn't get the whole swallow concept. ugh! It can be frustrating...but I guess it won't be long and he'll be on his way! Here are some pics.

My guys

2007-03-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

These two are a joy to me. I am so overwhelmed with how the Lord has blessed me. I don't deserve any of it, but He gladly gives it. Thank you Jesus. I am forever grateful.

22 & 23 weeks old

2007-03-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

So Guillermo turned 22 weeks old on our way to Mexico (Saturday March 10th)

and 23 weeks old on our way back from Mexico (Saturday March 17th)

More pictures of our Texan/Mexican friends:

Carmen, a friend from church in Texas.

Rosie, one of the workers at Casa Hogar in Mexico.

Juan a friend from Mexico that lives in Texas:)

Juan with his whole family...his wife Nora and their 2 adopted kids, Daniel (1 year) and Caleb (almost 4 years).

Eduardo

2007-03-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is Eduardo.

Eduardo lives at Casa Hogar, a children's home in Mexico. Francisco and I sponsor him. I have known him since he has arrived there 3 years ago and every year he has something to send back to Francisco. He loves Francisco even though he only knows Francisco by pictures and phone calls.

His father left him and his brother at Casa Hogar and told Teresa (The pastor's wife) he didn't want them anymore and that she could do whatever she wanted, sell them, give them away, etc. They were standing there listening as all this was being said. Eduardo says one day they are coming back for him. But, that is just a false hope that he clings to. They are not coming back.

We pray to make an impact in his life. Once a month we will be able to call him and talk to him on the phone.

He is very excited that we will be his "sponsors".

**There are only 7 kids out of the 25 that live there who have sponsors. So when a kid is sponsored they are super excited. They feel blessed. Please pray for Eduardo and the other children there as the workers try to raise them to walk with the Lord.

We feel privileged that Guillermo met his "big brother" and we pray they will be able to see each other often as Guillermo grows.

Culture shock

2007-03-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

So Guillermo and I just got back from a trip of a lifetime! Last Friday (March 9th) we decided last minute to go to Mexico with a group from Parkview Church that was going for a mission trip to Casa Hogar, a children's home that we have gone to for 3 years now, building relationships and also building a home for these children who have been abused, abandoned, sold, etc. They have become like family to Francisco and I and so I thought what better time than now to go there and meet my in-laws.

So, my mission was a little different this time, but one that I will never forget. My in-laws live in San Luis Potosi, Mexico which is a bout 12 hours from the border. So they made the trip by bus and we also came by car (24 hours!) to meet them for the first time. Francisco and I will celebrate our 2 year anniversary in August and I have only communicated by telephone with my in-laws, so we both felt it was time to make the trip since the opportunity was presented.

I would do it all over again. Guillermo was superb. He survived the 24 hour car ride (which in the end was 48 hours!) He hardly cried which surprised me. Since he is only 5 months, he was the perfect age to travel with...he can only roll from his stomach to his back so it was nice I didn't have to worry about him wanting to get out and run around. He went with the flow, enjoyed the warm weather and overall was very content. I praise the Lord for the opportunity and time we had with them.

So my friends, I present to you....

My in-laws!

Guillermo chatting with his grandma Guadencia

Guillermo with his grandpa Jacobo

This picture is special to us because there was no way Francisco's parents could come to the wedding, so Francisco asked Wayne and Marla Ross to sit in as his parents. Francisco has always called them his "adopted parents" so it was so neat that they were able to meet something neither of us dreamt of. Francisco's parents repeatedly told Wayne and Marla that they entrust their son to them. I think it was reassuring that they were able to meet a couple that cares very much for Francisco.

I wanted to share this photo because I'm not sure why, but Guillermo started making this face while he was in Mexico. It cracked me up! He hasn't done it since we have returned. Not sure what that was all about.

We stayed in the little girls dormitory and they absolutely loved him! They would wake up and the first thing they would say is, baby. Where's the baby? There is only one little girl missing in this picture other than that from left to right they are: Monsaret, Priscilla, and Reyna. Priscilla and Reyna are sisters along with Lupita (who is not pictured) they have 2 brothers who also live there which totals to 5. Priscilla told me that her mom just didn't want them. They are beautiful both inside and out. It was an honor to spend time with them.

This is Pastor Osdy and his wife Teresa with Guillermo. They are the heart behind the children's home. They are special to us. They came to Iowa to marry us and have been a huge part of our life for the last 3 years. My dream is to someday work side by side with them. It would be a great privilege as their work for the Lord is sacrificial and not in vane. I hope to someday have half the heart they do for not only saving and rescuing children from them streets, but making sure they know Jesus and strive to have an education and a life of opportunity. I love them.

**The reason for my title culture shock is because it truly was a culture shock meeting my in-laws. I am not sure I have experienced culture shock before, but their lifestyle is just completely different from ours. They didn't know how to turn on the shower....they don't have one. They don't even have a toilet. I now only see a little glimpse of what Francisco talks about when he says I don't understand what it's like to be poor. He's right.