How do you know?

We face so many choices as parents. We do not realize this until we have children that we will have to decide things like what they eat, clothes, schools, movies, places they can go, when they can date..and the list goes on and on and on. It starts with breast feed or bottle..that is a decision we ALL have to make! And then can span all the way to..college!

Sometimes we question and question again about which is the best. Well, at least I do..some of the time. So my question is 'How do you know?' How will you know you are making the best choice for their health? How will you know you are making the best choice for their education?

Will they grow up in the ways that you teach them or desire for them?

But I have come to this conclusion. We can do our best or what we think is our best, but it is all still up to them as they get older and begin to make their own decisions in life.

The best that we can do is to do the best we can with what we have at the time. We cannot beat ourselves up or agonize over some things beyond us. With Mothers day past and Fathers day around the bend, we need to just be grateful for the opportunity, the blessing to raise a child to maturity and watch them grow. Let the experience bring joy and when there are tears, let those tears water your soul and strengthen it for the next step up.

Where did the year go?

As I sit here typing, I just realized that it has just been...exactly a year since my last post. I may not have any followers anymore and truly be blogging just for myself. I am ok with that. But I will ramble nonetheless.

So where did this year go?.... Well, the kids did start the school year in public school, 6th, 4th, and 1st. Then we were presented with a need in the family. My grandma needed someone to become her caretaker and live with her because she has Alzheimer's. She and my grandpa had built their home out in the country about 30 years ago. They live about 3 hours west of where we were. My Grandpa had passed away 1 1/2 ago and my Grandma plus the homestead needed care. So after much discussion and prayer, we slowly moved our family out their. It was a slow and sometimes agonizing process, one that has stretched me profoundly. It started with my husband moving himself out their only, the Sunday before school started back in August. Then the kids started moving out there and sometimes they would be with me and other times stay with their dad. I still had to finish my job as an interpreter at a college and needed to finish the semester. So for the next 4 months, I was a weekend warrior and drove to and from....3-3 1/2 hours there and back. The last move was made the first week of December.

So it has been 5 months since we have been living together here. Wow what a journey! Now we have added 2 goats and 28 chickens and 9 guinea fowl. We have a small garden and a new well. So much we have learned and are learning along the way.

Our kids were using an online homeschool for a while, then we switched to working from lifepacs. Now with the new school year approaching and being in a whole new town and now going to a new church, we have decided to go ahead and put the kids back into public school.

So I am sure I will have LOTS to be blogging about now....we shall see!

The perfect dress!

I have four kids and like any momma, I like to brag on my kids. My eldest just got promoted from 5th to 6th grade. She is no longer an elementary school student. She has begun her journey as a young woman, officially. We went looking for her dress for this special occasion and that itself was quiet the occasion. It was an enjoyable time though. We started at Ross, then Kohl's, and we wandered the mall for a bit. Then we saw Dillards...hmm...they have clearance racks. So we ventured up to the third floor to see what we could find. We knew the right dress would eventually call out to us..and it did. We found this coral beauty and Abby made it shine even more! The whole trying on and helping bring more back and switching clothes on and off the hangers etc...took me back. Back to when my own mom and I went shopping, when we were able to. I grew up in a big family. So when we did go shopping, it was special, and sure enough, Abby let me know that she felt spoiled...good..she should.

p.s. the dress was only an awesome $27. And Abby was so tickled that after we paid, they put it in a plastic bag. It was so exciting to have moved up in the world..she had bought a 'bagged dress'! Love it!

Oh, and just a bit more bragging...she has also got commended scores on all her TAKS (Texas state tests) tests for this year. Which means not only did she pass, but she exceeded expectations. On her last test, science, she ONLY missed one question. Can you see me glowing? I am!

So, yeah...I am not so regular..

So I don't tend to be real regular. Umm...and I'm not talking about that kind of regular. I just mean I don't get to post as much as I would like. Gosh during the school year I am literally in over my head! With work, and thank God for overtime too, it is really hard to find time for myself...I am still looking. The condition of my house has taken back seat, yet again! And again I am vowing to get it in order before my mom comes to visit this summer, even though she is a big help and encouragement to me.

I never would have imagined myself on the journey that I am on now. I never planned on being a full time working mom, trying to switch between 'hats' quickly and dump my 'stuff' from work before I walk in the door. Wow, what a challenge. I did one of those things that you're not supposed to do. I got the kids what I refer to as 'guilt gifts'. Yeah I got them each a little something because I have not been around enough. But on a more positive and productive note, we just got our passes to the YMCA this past Tuesday. Well the kids wanted to go out swimming right away that night...on a school night. So yes we did and we sure had fun! Just me and the kids. I need to work on making more memories like that.

Buddy! our little angel...

Since the loss of our two four legged family members, we were wanting to adopt another dog into our family. Well, it turns out that he found us. We found Buddy on the side of our house one afternoon, shaking like a leaf. he was filthy and flea ridden. We took him inside and gave him a bath and cleaned him up. We took him to the vet to check for a chip. We did the necessary checking to see if someone had lost him. But after sufficient time, we claimed him as ours. He has been the most perfect dog. It seems almost too perfect. We love him with all our hearts, which has been very healing for us after the loss of the others. When Ralph goes to pick up the kids from school, he goes along for the ride. When we go to Sweetwater to visit my Grandma and Aunt, he goes. I love that he is 'portable' and that he travels well. I think it is so sweet that he follows my husband around the house and sits at his feet and sleeps by my side of the bed. I think the one thing that I really love most....he doesn't shed! Because he has some poodle in him...poodles don't shed. Thank you God...you knew exactly what we needed and wanted.

Our Little Axle

Well, we have more sad news from our home. Our second doggie Axle, has passed away as well, he was 12 years old too. He has only been with us for about 2 1/2 years. But he has been such a sweet little guy. He never complained, always loved, and was a real trooper on the road. He is a retired circus dog that we adopted from my circus performing brother. He had a full life and happy life. I feel that we were his retirement family and we gave him the best we had. Thank you Axle for taking us into your heart and loving us. We love you with all our hearts!

Our Dear Robin

So I haven't blogged in months...either because I have no personal life or there is too much packed into my days...or both!

But we recently had something happen in and to our family. Our dear family companion and best friend of 12 years has passed on. It has been a few weeks now. My heart is still very tender. Some would argue that she was just a dog. Robin was so much more than that. She was there before we were married. She was there for the birth of our four kids and we were there for the birth of her eight. She was with us through all the up, downs, ins and outs of being on the mission field. She has come with us stateside these past three years, in what I consider her golden years. She loved us and was so loved by us. There will never be another to replace her...not even close.
Robin...you'll be missed. But forever in our hearts!

5 Things I enjoy MEME

Thanks Michelle for the easy idea...
Here it goes.

1...Quiet time at the end of the day with a glass of wine.

2...Reading a book quietly.

3..Taking a nice long bubble bath.

4..Going out on a date with my hubby.

5..Playing with my kids.


Umm, they were not listed in any particular order.

Summer vacation!

We have been blessed to be able to take a road trip to visit family in another state. But I have left my dear husband to hold down the fort, even though I have the 'tribe' with me. We have been gone four weeks and we are itching to get back home. But there has been so many family and friends that we have not seen and some that we will still not get the chance to see. Nevertheless...we need to get back home. Here are just a few precious pictures of our trip. These pic's are of us 'chillin' at the bay..it was kind of cold. But we had fun. It may be another year or two before we get back there....so who cares if it's cold, right?!

Remembering Easters Past

This is our first Easter in Texas in our new home...in our green grass backyard. We were so excited because in Mexico grass is almost extinct...just kidding. But it is very rare to have a yard with grass.

We had literaly just moved and had not unpacked all the boxes. We had arrived, if I remember correctly, the friday or saturday before easter.

These are Easter egg hunts that we had while missionaries in Mexico. I believe they are 2006, 2005 and 2004 pix. and like I said...no grass. We hid them on the patio!

Howdy Partners!

It was so sweet to come home to my kiddos all dressed up. They were having fun playing and then took some pictures. It kinda reminds me of the 'old timey' pictures that cost you a fortune at amusement parks.

So smart of them to save me a bundle! I have been realizing so much that life is so fragil and how much we take for granted.

I have been asking the Lord for more joy.

Because the joy of the Lord is my strength!

And as you can see...these kids bring me lots of joy!

Thank you Lord for them!

I'm so proud!

Today was a big day for my 9 year old daughter. She is the eldest and has high expecatons of herself. It was so important that I took a half a day off from work.

Today was the first time she has been in a Spelling Bee!
She has been on stage before, but not for competition.
The words she had to spell were very challenging. I was so surprised that she easily could spell 3/4 of the words I asked her of the 874 long list!
But it was not meant to be. She misspelled her first word on the first round.
Yet I am so very proud of her. For getting up there and giving it her best shot. Honestly, it was her nerves that caused her to misspell the word and she spelled it quickly.
I know that there was a cafeteria full of kids that wanted to be in the Bee, but only thirty got in because they took the tests and passed.

You go girl!

From the Good Clean Funnies

Two-Day Course For Men
EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!
OPEN TO MEN ONLY - ALL ARE WELCOME

Note: Due to the complexity and level of difficulty,
each course will accept a maximum of eight participants.

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this courseinclude:
DAY ONE:

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step-by-step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS - DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Round table discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE - DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY
TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts.

REMOTE CONTROL
Losing the remote control - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead of
turningthe house upside down while screaming - Open forum

DAY TWO:

EMPTY MILK CARTONS -DO THEY BELONG
IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play

HEALTH WATCH - BRINGING HER FLOWERS
IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOURHEALTH
PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT
QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLELPARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS - BASIC DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING
WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT
Learning how to live with being wrong all the time

Murphys law?

So is it murphys law or another one that applies here....
It is one of the coldest nights here in North Texas and our heater decides to take a break. It has happened before and works fine the next day. But why today when at night it is supposed to drop to mid 20's? Ack!
The solution? All the kids sleep in the same room and we put a space heater in their and keep the door almost closed. Well, three girls are already share the one room so that just means adding my son. But then the cat and little dog are cold too so they join in. I think I'll be ok in my own room.

Thank you for your prayers

I will say that there is quiet a need for prayer for the deaf community in general.
Lonnie and Michelle (who work with Carlos and Virginia) have also been hit. As I am typing this there has already been an improvement in their situation, but still need your prayers.
Lonnie has been on dialysis for some time now but his situation may be getting more serious and he may need to change the type of treatment he is receiving. But just before Christmas he got admitted to the hospital for pnemonia and his little boy (about 3 months old) also has pnemonia. At this time though, he is back home in Mexico with his family and he and the baby are doing better, just taking medicine and getting rest.
Please be praying for Michelle, she has been taking on alot herself. Not only the care of her family but also now that Virginia is in the hospital she has been taking on her responsibilities.
She needs strength and alot of rest and wisdom.
We love you Michelle.

Update on Virginia

Virginia is still in coma and her family is only allowed to visit her for 5 minutes at a time.
This is to protect others and Virginia as well.
We are waiting to hear the results of the test to find out which kind of Meningitis she has, either bacterial or viral. From what we understand, bacterial meningitis is the more severe and life threatening. They are treating her for this until they get the results back.
It should take about three days.
Thank you for your continued prayers!

Urgent prayer request for Virginia

This is an urgent prayer request for a dear friend of ours, Virginia Suarez (deaf pastors' wife) had been sick for a few days and on Sunday morning she passed out and has only woken up once since. She is still in a coma at this time. The Doctors say that she is dehydrated and that her sodium and potasium levels are very low. They had originally diagnosed her with diabetes but they just rediagnosed her with menengitis. As you can imagine this has really shaken up their family. Her husband's mother is visiting for the holidays and is able to be the mediator at the hospital and make sure she is getting the best care. She will be having a neurologist come and check Virginia in the morning and if she is not getting proper care she will be asking for her to get a transfer to a better hospital.
We covet your prayers for her.
1.For her to wake from coma and for the doctors to effectivly treat the correct problem.
2. That she would be getting the best possible care.3. For the family, her husband Carlos and the two kids. For their peace and comfort during this time.
4. For their financial situation. They do not have any insurance and do not have the resources to handle a situation like this.
Thank you so very much!
Sorry I could not get the links to work properly. But you can find more information about the Suarez family at my frien Michelle's ministry blog.
www.bajacompassion.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who cooked our scrumptious meal today while I cleaned the house. And for my 4 wonderful kids who helped me!
This next part was written by my son. It was from a project at school. It was written on a leaf shaped 'booklet'.

I'm thankful for my family and friends.
I'm thankful for math and writing.
I'm thankful for money to stay in my house.
I'm thankful for my whole family.
Im thankful for my country and city.
I'm thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I'm thankful for my toys and clothes.
I'm thankful for Texas and the other states.
by C.L.

Have a happy weekend!

Hey Y'all...I sure wish I could stop in more often to post...sigh..but since cleaning house is priority over that and cleaning house has been a challenge...posting has fallen by the wayside.

I have not yet found the 'secret' to maintaining an orderly home, what ever that is! With both my husband and I working and two out of four kids in school...when is there time and/or energy to wash clothes? It always seems like someone is asking at 6:30 in the morning..."Mom, I don't have any socks...where are some socks?" I am ashamed to say I tell them, "If you can't find any then just wear the ones you had on yesterday." In the back of my mind I am hoping that today is not their gym day and they have to take their shoes of and then someone will see that they are wearing dirty socks and I will be found out for being a bad mom cause my childs socks were dirty! That, plus he did not comb his hair today. I think I have a picture or ideal in my mind of how I want my family to be. How we should look and how our home should look...etc. Some of it is realistic expectations and others I think I need to factor in the kids age plus our busy schedual and size of the home (ok and maybe some of our habits). Yeah, I just have to be more realistic. My mom popped my bubble the other day and said, "You realize it is just going to be this way for a few more years." She said this from experience, based on the ages and proximity of my kids. They are ages 9, 7, 4 and 2. You do the math!

On another note! We got our act together and finally got our family picture done! The last picture was taken when we only had two kids. And my mom paid for us to have them done at Sears as a Christmas gift.....Last Year!! Well it was alot of fun. The lady got us in and out of there real quick. I felt like I was being rushed through processing in a factory. But when we sat down to look at the 20 picture after less than 5 minutes of picture taking, I was actually impressed! The one I loved was all of us on the floor. I liked it for myself cause I'm looking up and it hides the 'double chin". and that is a good thing! The one that we are all laughing about and is splitting our sides...is the one where she asked if we didn't mind pilling up. So we tried someting new and my husband laid on his belly and she asked me to lay on top of him! Yeah this is something we usually save for the bedroom but, ok. So then she had the two older children on top of us and the youngers down in front. All this needed to be done quick cause the poor man could hardly breath. Afterwards he said he thought someone had kicked him in the side. Which was not possible cause we were all on top of him! Well the following few days proved what had happened as his side was quite sore. We believe he must have fractured or bruised a rib! Not to mention that in the picture it looks like he has a sunburn cause his face is so red. But no worries, he is better now. And of course we order one of those pictures!

Funny kid quote of the day....my 4 year old tells me she "likes her orange juice with no pope!" ummm..translator please!

Making time to spend time

Oh my! i just noticed that it has been almost exactly a month since my last post! WOW!
Well, I guess I should explain myself.
It has been going on probably the third month now that my husband has been working for ChemDry, a carpet cleaning company. He works both the morning and evening shift. I continue to work full time as well as an educational interpreter for the deaf for the local school district. Since a change in my schedule I have been working an hour over time every day, which will continue through the school year. Also my husband has begun to assume more responsibilities at work, which means going in earlier to work. All this translates to better income for the family. Which is what we have been praying for. There are goals that we have been unable to achieve, such as getting out of debt or supporting the deaf ministry. And to also be able to have a future for our family and not sit on the edge of the 'poverty pit' for the rest of our lives. But this comes at a price. Every thing costs either time or money. So there is a delicate balance in our home right now. When I come home, dinner is almost ready and by the time we are done eating, hubby leaves for work. Some days I arrive and he has to leave immediately . And with our kids entering public school for the first time it has been a challenge to adapt. I realize this is the norm for so many American families and it may be where you are at yourself. But I challenge you as I am myself to guard your family and the time you spend together. Because once your children are grown there will be no going back.
Slow down your day and go to the library together or find if you have a dollar theatre in your area. We found our local dollar theatre and it has been a very special treat for the whole family. Make time to spend time. On that note, I'll go , because it's the little things and the little people in our lives that count!