Glad You're Still Here

On Monday, February 22nd, we received a very scary phonecall... that Frankie's dad was in the ER getting an emergency tracheotomy and was not able to breathe on his own. Within a couple hours we had 3 bags and 2 kids in the car and were headed to southern california. Frank was in the ICU trying to recover from the operation, and had a blood transfusion. He was still not breathing on his own, and doctors thought they found fluid in his lungs. Frankie and his sister Jen went straight to the hospital, while I took care of the girls. Immediately after we got that first call we had prayed together, asking for God's hand over Frank. I spent the better part of that evening doing just that. I knew God knew what was in the future, and prayed that Frank would be comforted and healed. I asked for wisdom for all his doctors and nurses involved, and peace for all of us in the meantime.
The next day I was able to visit Frank. He was in good spirits, and keeping his sense of humor... making us laugh through our face masks by dancing to the sound of his monitors is something I won't forget. Granted, I couldn't stay long. I found myself getting so warm and light-headed in that ICU room, under my sweatshirt, the apron, gloves, mask, etc. I had to get air... rushing out of his room and finding a place to sit down wasn't enough. Vomitting a couple times in the hallway seemed to do the trick though. Can we say humiliating?? A very unexpected reaction, but needless to say I haven't been back to the ICU yet. The doctors are moving Frank to a regular room so I am hoping once they do that I can manage another visit.

Anyways... Frank, glad you're still here. God is so good. My prayers haven't changed. I am still praying for your constant healing... physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I am praying for the ultimate in wisdom for the doctors to know what's best for you. I am praying you will receive all the support you need to recover from this, since it won't happen overnight. And, I am praying for God to reveal to all of us the good that is going to come of this. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
Please take this to heart Frank. We love you.

Sophia ~ 1 Year Old

Here we are, another year passed. My youngest, my "baby" is a year old. I simply can't believe that in a matter of days she will be toddling around the house all on her own. On Valentine's Day she took 4-5 steps all on her own. Only V and I were the ones to see it, and I'll never forget the excitement in V's voice as she pointed and shouted "Mommy! Sophie is walking all by herself!"

Our dear little Sophie,
You continue to enrich our lives daily with your funny faces, high-pitched squeals, slobbery kisses, and priceless cuddling.
You have brought so much joy to not only our lives, but your sissy's too. My daily prayer is that you continue to grow in health and in the Lord. We have been so incredibly blessed to have the privilege of being your parents; raising you, teaching you, and watching you grow. Happy 1st Birthday baby girl, looking forward to many more birthdays to come.

Some Things I'm Learning - S.T.I.L.

Don't mean to sound like a broken record, but in reference to the changes that are happening in my life, I am learning some things. Things I should have learned a long time ago. Nevertheless, I am learning them now, and I want to record them. So whenever you see a post from now on titled "S.T.I.L." you will know what it means... Some Things I'm Learning. (And ironically, it makes the word "still." Since I should have had these things figured out quite some time ago.)
So, here we go.... Some Things I'm Learning:

HOW WE LOVE OTHERS IS TO BE OUR WITNESS TO AN UNBELIEVING WORLD.
I know, starting out with some deep stuff right? But this is what I've come to notice about myself recently... there have been so many instances when I see someone I haven't seen in awhile, and I walk away from the brief conversation and realize I barely asked them about what is going on in their life, they asked about me the whole time. Or, I choose to only surround myself with certain people because of my comfort zone, because they fit into my little bubble of approved people. Or, those who I feel aren't worthy of my kindness for one reason or another get pushed aside. The last couple of weeks I have been studying in John, and it amazed me to take a close look at how Jesus was with Judas the entire time He spent with him. ALWAYS kind. ALWAYS loving. ALWAYS giving him every opportunity to change. Even though He knew all along what Judas was going to do, He knew his heart. Then, reading John 13:34-35 when Jesus is talking with His disciples the night before He is crucified (after Judas has taken off determined to betray Jesus) "Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." It occurred to me that I do not love this way. If I did, why wouldn't I ask others how they are doing before rambling on about myself? Why would I complain when my husband asks for a back scratch? Why would I complain when someone needs something of me, and I just don't feel like helping them right now? I know these things are small, but they come from somewhere. I want people to be able to look at me and say, "Something is different about her." Not, "Wow, I didn't know she was a Christian." I have always had the fear of people withdrawing if they knew about that part of me... but that's just it. My faith isn't just one small part of my life... it IS my life, and if that's what others don't want to be around, that's their choice. "Then he said to the disciples, 'Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.'" Luke 10:16

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS LIKE ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP : IT REQUIRES QUALITY TIME.
This may sound totally stupid, totally ridiculous... but this is how I know God is seriously at work in me. The other night, I had (still do) my 3 favorite shows recorded on my DVR to catch up on. Lost, American Idol, and The Bachelor. One of my favorite things is once the girls are fast asleep in bed, I can curl up on the couch with a blanket, maybe a bowl of cereal, and it's Mommy's time. My time. I get to indulge myself in my guilty pleasures for an hour or two and then sleepily crawl off the couch and go to bed... too tired to do anything else. Well, as I had mentioned a few posts ago, I have been praying for God to grow my faith, for me to want to spend more time in the Word, not just doing my lesson because I'm supposed to and I don't want to show up with only half done. And here I was the other night, just putting Sophie to sleep, Frankie working, and the thought came to me that I really don't care about those shows right now. I would actually RATHER crawl into my bed, turn some lights on and read the Bible for a bit, do some of my lesson. I couldn't believe that. That is HUGE for me. I wanted, wait no, PREFERRED to spend time with Him. That was a crazy good feeling. And I realized my relationship with God isn't any different than say, my relationship with my husband, or, my kids. When you spend quality time with someone, that's what builds. That's how love grows. So how could I expect to just magically love God more by just praying for it? I play a role in that. It's up to me to make that effort for quality time.
The very first lecture in BSF this year, back in September, the teaching leader started out by asking, "What do you pour your life into?" And she gave examples... kids, career, etc. The most important thing I can do with my time is to spend it with God. And if I want more of God's truth I need to act on the truth He has already given me. The most important thing to find out is what God says. And I can't depend on a 45-minute sermon every Sunday and a bible study class each Wednesday to do it for me. I prayed not only to know Him more, but for the desire to know Him more... and I got what I asked for.

Guess What?

Chicken butt. Yes, chicken BUTT. And who says that? Who teaches this catchy phrase to innocent 3 year olds??

The culprit:



The smell of fresh blueberry muffins baking in the oven fills the house as I grab V and kiss her face all over and she giggles. Such a beautiful picture right? That's when we hear it. "Guess what?" says Goofy. "What?" asks Mickey. "Chicken butt!" shouts Goofy as he laughs.

I think my jaw actually dropped a little, then I had to put my DVR to good use to rewind it and confirm what I thought I heard. And I heard correct. Really? Playhouse Disney?? Whose target audience is children ages 2-5 years old. Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

Accomplishments, Skills, Talents??

So Frankie and I joined a small group through our church. Last Wednesday was our first week, and we seriously met some awesome couples. We had a yummy chicken tortilla soup dinner, with some crazy good mango salsa (yes, I had to mention the food cause it was THAT good) and just spent the 2 hours getting to know one another. Each couple had to share either how they met, how he proposed, or a funny story about the honeymoon. So that was interesting.

Now, tonight, we have to come prepared to tell about 2 accomplishments, skills/ talents, or something interesting about ourselves. Then 1 fictional yet believable one. And the rest of the group has to distinguish the 2 truths from the fiction. Should be fun right? Ya, I thought so too.... until I started making my mental list to choose which ones I would talk about...

SKILLS:
- I can change diapers like nobody's business.
- I can braid hair on a head that never stops moving... not once.
- I can navigate through pitch black darkness at 2AM and not run into a single thing.
- I can time the insertion of squash into a tiny mouth at the exact interval needed to avoid any spraying, smearing, or launching off the spoon.

Wait, I think to myself, are these the skills they are referring to??
Ok, let's try accomplishments instead...

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- I successfully pushed out two human beings from my own body without any vomiting or defecating.
- I have spent an entire day in my PJ's with plans to clean at least one room and not actually completed a thing. I know, amazing right?

Ok, so I don't think this is working...

So if any of you know of some magical skill or accomplishment I possess that I have not yet realized, do bring it to my attention... quickly.

Passionately Committed

In my last post I mentioned changes happening. Of course there are the changes regarding our family and how fast the girls are growing. But I was also referring to changes happening in me- in my life as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend.

As many of you know I go to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). It is a bible study designed to grow deeper in knowledge and understanding of God and the Bible. It involves a daily lesson plan and reading. About 3 weeks ago, somewhere around studying John chapter 10, where Jesus refers to Himself as the good Shepherd, it slugged me. I realized what kind of shepherd Jesus is. I've read this chapter more than once, yet it never hit me like it did now. Do any of us really get how He takes care of us? I mean REALLY get it? Why did God use the metaphor of sheep and a shepherd to describe His relationship to us? Because it's the only relationship there is to begin to scratch the surface of what all it entails....

1.) The sheep KNOW their shepherd's voice.
Yes, this is real. Sheep would recognize their own shepherd's voice, and respond to it. And no one else's. John 10:8 says, "All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them." TRUE sheep, meaning a child of God, someone who is saved. And the only way for us to tell the difference between the counterfeit shepherd (false pastors, corrupt leaders, etc.) and the true shepherd is to KNOW the truth (the Word) so that we may recognize it when we see it. This is helpful in a time such as this, our country in the shape it is in.
2.) The shepherd leads them, goes ahead of them, and cares for His sheep.
This gives us security. He never pushes us, He LEADS. And CARES for us. Do you know what shepherds had to do for their sheep on a daily basis? They knew each sheep, one by one. As Christ knows us by name. 1 Corinthians 8:3 "But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for." Firstly, they had to constantly free them of flies and parasites. They would circle the pen throughout the day, inspecting each one, cleaning them, checking for any injuries that needed attention, etc. They had to make sure they were well fed. And free of stress. I know right, a sheep? Stressed? If a sheep was distressed in any way, it would not lay down and sleep, and it's health would decline from there. And then obviously, have to check and make sure all were in attendance. If a sheep had wandered, not able to find its way home, (and also leading other sheep astray) do you know what that shepherd would have to do? He would go and search out that one sheep. When he found it, he would have to gently break it's leg, so that he could throw it upon his shoulders and carry it home. Hmm... interesting. You know you've seen that picture before, Jesus carrying a sheep over his shoulders... you think, ah, how sweet, little Fluffy likes being held and cuddled. No, Fluffy was being taught a lesson, if you will, so that he could be brought back home again.



Anyways, what I am getting at is I received such deep insight into what it means... "the Good Shepherd." And after thinking over the last couple of weeks about what has brought on this understanding, I remembered something. For a couple months I have been praying occasionally for something: for God to grow my faith. I think it is a scary prayer to pray. I have to admit I didn't want to at first. Because usually when you think of your faith growing it involves a challenge. Or some kind of trial. And though trials are what grow our faith, that doesn't always have to be the case. I simply prayed for God to change me. Change the ugly things about me. And to fuel my desire to know Him more, to WANT to get into the Word. Not doing it just because I'm in a bible study and need to get my lesson done. And that all starts with a passionate commitment. A passionate commitment to Him. So really, I basically prayed for me to love Him more. To want to get to know Him better and His will for my life. And as silly as it is for me to be surprised, I am. I'm surprised at how much He is on my mind. I'm surprised at how much I want to do for Him, and how much I want Him to be glorified in it. Even as I'm typing this, it sounds strange that this is me saying this. Not that it should, I have always loved the Lord, but, it's different now. Deeper, stronger, and I feel like I'm at the beginning. I don't know what kind of work He is going to do in me, but I'm ready for it, whatever it is. Because now I'm passionately committed.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." JOHN 10:11-18

Turning a New Leaf (blog-wise that is)

So here it is: I am turning a new leaf in my blog life. I want to keep it updated... I want new pictures posted often. I want to keep record of all the hilarious things Victoria says... and the adventures my curious little Sophie gets into.
There are changes happening in our family, in our lives, and I want to have something to look back on and see it all described in my own words, as I am experiencing it.

So stay tuned... much more to come!!