Following My Dad's Band

My dad is in a Christian band and they travel around to churches.  Some bigger ones and even some baby churches.  Here, they are a smaller church but there was four visitors!  The band and the testimonies along with the dramas got to share the gospel and play.  It was fun and I brought along a friend of mine. This is actually my church I grew up in.  It's always SO fun visiting my old friends and going out to eat with them afterwards. 

That's my dad!  He's been playing in bands ever since I was a baby.  I still love to see him and hear him play.  My parents are awesome people.  No matter what they've gone through in life, they just keep going serving God.  I love that about them.  They are faithful and it sends a message to me.  Never quit.  Never give up.  Eternity is forever and life is good serving God!  :)  It was such a blessing, no joke, being raised in a Christian family. 

Ashley was sitting right in front of me and she kept popping up to talk to me.  Right when I was taking a pic of my dad, I got her instead.  Little cutie!  I love my blondie girls.  haha. 

I straightened Ashley's hair that day.  Normally she has curls!  After the music scene we stayed an hour just chatting with my old friends and having a great time!  Then we decided to hit up an Applebees and who do I run into while there?????  My big sis, Tammy and her husband!  She had just got done playing volleyball.  Dang.  That would be so fun.  I should seriously think about joining a team also.

My mom below giving testimony:

Kid Pictures

This is just NOT a good combination. I didn't discover this in time but thankfully she got nothing on the dress! LOL. She put on this fancy dress of hers and then came to dinner. Ashley is so funny!

Below I have PROOF to the boys that they NEED each other.  They do!  They so act like they are cool and don't get scared at night.  Well, I have proof that they like sharing a room and even if I gave them their own rooms, they would all come back to just one bed. 

My dog is a major cuddler!  This is how big my dog is.  Ryan is turning 9 years old.

Hot Summer Days

It's been so, so, so hot this summer that we've been mostly staying indoors.  I LOVE the spring, winter, and fall here. It's so beautiful and that's usually when I have my gardens.    I can't wait!  For now we just try to find ways to stay cool.

My two boys on the left squirting the kid in the middle.  The only way it's pleasant here to be sitting and watching the kids and in the shade!  I haven't wanted to come back here for the last 7 years because Chaz got seriously hurt here when he was 2 years ago. It's taken me this long!  The slide you see with my girls on it is the same slide Chaz flipped down.  Everytime he did a flip (accidental) he hit his face.  He knocked his two from teeth out and had to have surgery in his mouth he was hurt so bad.  The firetrucks came and he was in the hospital.  He had so much blood that he had to wear a bib to catch the constant bleeding for several days.  It was totally heartbreaking.  That slide used to be concrete till that happened and since then, they've changed it to what it is now.  I told Chaz he needs a plaque in his name next to the slide.  Now kids are safer!  Haha. 

Ivy and Ashley in the little water slide.

It was so wonderful to sit under this waterfall that I stood with the kids in it for a long time.  That is until I discovered that my shirt was a tad see thru.  That was the end of that. 

Ashley cuddling her big sister after playing in the water.

Ashley and Ivy drying off and going for a little walk together. So cute!!!

Caleb chilled with us in the shade!  He was happy to just watch his siblings but he's already getting to the point, now that he's 9 months, to where he just wants to crawl everywhere.  This is the nervous time for me where I have to constantly be looking all over the floor for pennies or other items that can be choked on.  Yikes!  Dog food is his favorite right now so I'm just gonna have to keep Henry's dog food outside!  Blech!

My 31st Birthday

On June 14th I turned 31!  This is my in-laws, my hubby and I.

Cousins playing in the little house. This is such a cute pic! 

Juan is a great guitar player so he played some songs on my purple (heh heh) guitar.  He has a good voice too!  It was so great sitting down with the family and just chilling.

Kyle joins in the music fun!  A house was meant to be filled with laughter, music, and good fellowship.  My mom and dad were there too!  We had lots of fun.  :D

My brother-in-law on the left, father-in-law in the middle watching Charles as he shows him his game he plays once a week.  We love to have game night at our house once a week.  It's really just a nice excuse to have to fun with friends. :D

Kids Are GREAT!

Church conference is coming up and I'm hoping to have a houseful of kids!  A couple goes to a conference out of town for a week and it's hard to find sitters (that you trust) if there is no family.  Usually we have kids to watch so I am hoping to have at least a couple of families.  So far I only have 2 kids extra besides my own.  I usually always have extra kids at my house different times of the week.  LOL.  Kerrianne (on the left) is Ivy's best friend.  I caught this pic of them having fun in the backyard. 

Ashley below on swing. Here are some pics from previous conference babysitting!  It's a fun party.  :D

  Click HERE and HERE.

We seriously need to add on some more fun stuff in the house for kids!  It's very hot outside so I don't think we'll be out much except at night.  :P

Friends That Last

Brianne is one of those friends that I'm surprised have stuck with me so long!  No joke. 

I went through a serious identity crisis a few years ago.  Let me explain.

When I got married, it was one of the best days of my life besides accepting Christ into my heart.  Charles was like my knight and shining armor that rescued me from a very bad situation.  A situation I got myself into but had a hard time getting out of. 

Well, when I got married I found it very hard to be "the wifey" that I knew was expected of me.  I know about submission and all that stuff.  I know most tend to throw that part out of the window but I also know some guys take that to the extreme and abuse it.  I was the one where I believed in the concept of it but once my  husband told me a decision, I would argue my way till I got what I wanted.  Later I learn that was called manipulation.  Sometimes it's just better to say okay and then if I really feel like it's important, then pray about what I should do.  A lot of times, if my husband is wrong, he'll come to me about it later and we'll talk about it.  Other times, I'm so grateful he held me back on a bad decision.

Taking care of home was good in theory but I knew very little about cooking or cleaning.  I always dreamt of homemaking but when it came down to it, it was hard.  So then I joined a homemaking group so I could learn more and push myself in that direction.  They talked much about everything I needed to know but were a little on the extreme side.  Brianne and I went together for a few years but eventually she dropped out.  I thought she just didn't care about homemaking but I later dropped out also.  Sometimes moms groups can be scary.  A comparison thing.  Sometimes it can make you look at yourself and constantly feel inadequate.  While I tried for years to be like these other women that practically made everything homemade down to their soap they use, I didn't quite figure it that it just wasn't who I was.  I tried to turn this spontaneous, messy, adventurous mom into a planning, organized, perfectionist guru and just never quite succeeded. I slid into a slump and eventually just figured I wasn't cut out for this job and was just ready to quit.

Brianne figured it out way before I did.  We are all different.  Some moms are born perfectionists and some (like myself) have to push my self daily to discipline myself.  Some are born great cooks and some have to learn through many trial and errors (and embarrassing dinner gags).  Some are masters at scrapbooking and some would rather just buy a nice photo album to keep their pictures in.  Some like to craft their own kid's clothes and some would rather buy the clothes in the stores.  One is not better than the other.  One doesn't make them a better Proverbs 31 woman better than the other.  This is the difference.

However it's done, Proverbs 31 is basically talking about not eating the bread of idleness.  A woman being busy in taking care of her children and home.  However it's done.  There is no perfect mold.  One can snub their nose on another but oh well.  Thank goodness we are not all from one same mold!  That would be weird.  Kind of like The Stepford Wives.  Creepy.  God is looking for progression not perfection.  Thank goodness for me!

Birthdays Are Rolling In

So much lovely stuff has happened the last week and I have so many pictures to share.  Just have to get more chances to blog.  :)  Here is a pic of my two girls.  We couldn't keep Ashley's little tongue in her mouth as she kept sticking it out.  Ivy is 4 1/2 here and Ashley 2 1/2.  I just had a birthday and you know what that means?  More are coming like CRAZY!  Ivy's is coming in a few weeks and then  birthdays every 2 weeks after that till the end of October.  Goodness!  I need to fight my procrastinating ways and start planning NOW.  Every..single..year I put it off till last minute and then panic.  Just like Christmas.  It needs to be different this year!  :D  Last Easter I was at Walmart AT MIDNIGHT trying to get their baskets together.  That's pretty bad. 

TGIF

I love Mondays.  I know, it's kinda weird.  Everyone always says TGIF. I don't.  I always say TGIM.  Hoot hoot!  Here is why.

1. I hate getting out of my routine.  I am generally not a routine person but I've become one after having six babies. 

2. When Monday comes, I love how there is no place to rush to, I open my bible, brew my coffee and pray before the kids get up.  Just a great way to start the day.  And men, yes, I know I'm blessed in that way.  I know it's not easy to get up every day and have to rush to work.  Guys are incredible that do that for so long supporting their family so mom can stay home.  :)

3. By Tuesday, I start to feel more relaxed with the weekend being over and my thoughts go more towards organization and what room or area I can get better control over.

4. When Friday comes, I have to gear myself mentally for a whirlwind weekend and the house easily goes to pot.  I love the weekend.  Just happy it's only two days.

Man, I've turned into a MOM!!!  Haha.  What happened to the partier version of me?  Awww....it's still there. Just having so much more fun being a mom.

------------------------->  Still a partier. Just more of a mommy.

Friday Night Marriage Seminar

What a wonderful weekend we had!  Our friends babysat friday night so Charles and I could attend a marriage seminar.  Pastor Aragon is hilariously funny and kept the mood light but he also had so much insight.  A couple of funny points were when he brought up something serious like "..and women, lets talk about complaining."  This guy in the back goes "PREACH IIIIT!"  Really loud!  The pastor said, "Um, brother, you might want to wait on the comments like that.  Maybe just think them in your mind.!"  Haha.  I mean, it is a marriage seminar where people are staying in a hotel overnight with their spouses and then attending a seminar the next morning.  Well, if you want things to go well that night, you just don't make those kind of comments with your wifey sitting right next to you. LOL.  This guy did it 3 times that night!  Really critical spots where the pastor is speaking to the wife and he's like "AAAAMEN!"  My gosh, everyone was laughing so hard. We all knew he was on the couch that night.

Afterward, our friends treated us to an ice cream shop and we stayed talking till 3am!!  They are friends we've known for 20 years and we've missed them along with other friends there that I don't get to see often.  It was SO fun that we had to hang out the next day again.  So, with another couple from my old church, we headed to a smaller water park but took our kids along too for the fun.  OH my gosh, we had a blast. Sometimes you just can't replace old friends that hold a special place in your heart. Since I've gotten married, of course I make friends in my new church but it's different for me because I didn't grow up there.  It takes time to establish friendships again. 

(Ech, I just took a sip of my coffee while writing this and realized it's cold now.  Off to the microwave....haha)

I was reading in my bible this morning in Mark 5, and it's the part where Jesus is doing miracles but asking people not to tell.  Well, there is a part where Jesus heals a girl that just died at the age of 12.  Can you imagine?  Family is at the house, crying over the girl and Jesus comes and raises her from the dead.  That would just be so incredibly cool to see and experience.  What a relief for the mom and dad.  It's like a second chance at life.  I wonder what she died of?  We have so much medicine and new things today but back then, even just having a fever could take you to the brink of death or over.  You know, there was not Motrin.  Even giving birth was so much more dangerous back then and mortality rates were high.  Scary!  Being that there was no birth control, only natural family planning (if there was), I wonder how high the mortality rate was?  There was no c-section right?  Okay, I know it's way overused, the c-sections these days, but there WERE cases back then where a woman really did need one so instead the baby would die or both mom AND baby.  Scary!  I'm thankfully for how far we've come.  :)  Having babies is exciting and less worrysome. Could chance you're walking out of that hospital alive.

No, I'm not pregnant.  Just having fun thinking about babies.

Chopped Up NIV

I lost my bible that I love.  Hopefully, it's just lost somewhere in the house but I haven't seen it in awhile.  :( 

 

Soooo, I went through my book case and found my old bible that I had totally dissected back in 2002.  As I'm looking through it, I have loved seeing all the notes I've written in it.  :)  So I calculated it and my oldest was 21 months old and my second was 9 months old.  I only had two babies!  I was 22 at the time.  Wow!  I can't imagine. SO MUCH can happen in such a short amount of time.  Now I'm 30 and I have six children.  It's so sweet finding old bibles because it's almost like finding an old diary because of all the notes in it. 

 

I had to share a few notes I found that I remember being very interesting to me that I have forgotten about.

 

What is the difference between old testament and new?  This is what I found.

 

Old Testament = Law (standard), (Self Discovery)

We are not as righteous (alone) as we think.

The law is a framework that exposes sin.

 

New Testament = Grace (undeserved favor or acceptance)

We now know that we need the blood of Christ to save us.  The Old Testament only proved that we are unrighteous.

 

(Note I wrote)  "Thank you, Lord, for my salvation.  Only by your grace I am saved."

 

Anyway, later on I had discovered something about the NIV after I had read all the way through.  I was really disappointed.  Many scriptures were CUT out. MANY.  I went through and found tons of and tons. Sometimes the scripture was there but half of it was chopped off.  Here is an example right out of my NIV bible.  This is out of Mark 11.

 

(25) "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (27) They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him."

 

Did you notice I didn't write in verse 26?  In the NIV it's NOT there at all.  Why would this important verse be omitted?  I was sad as I flipped through and found many missing.  Naturally, I went out and bought a NKJV instead because I didn't want a chopped up bible. I still keep the bible of course because I have many notes written all through it. 

 

Anyhow, I just had to share with you my discovery!  At that time I was totally sad and freaked out.  I was highlighting all the parts that were missing and I was angry.  This is a sin to do this.  We are never to add or take away from scripture.  By the way, it's not anything dumb thats taken out.  It is VERY important scriptures.  I looked into the history to find out who put together the NIV version and it is from a Catholic Cardinal.  Ever since then I have bought different versions but this is the only version I found that takes out scriptures. 

Food That Never Goes Bad

I ran across this article about a McDonalds happy meal. INTERESTING and GROSS at the same time.

Desert Backyard

Charles' parents came and brought over another extension to my kids backyard play set to make it more fun. They did it as a birthday present for all the boys. We love it! They always do neat stuff like that. It took a lot of driving time and working in the 100 degree plus weather. Being that my kids can't really roam around (riding their bikes like I did when I was little) through the neighborhood, it'd be great to make a backyard a fun place. We are working on it slowly but surely. :D

I no longer have internet so it's a little more different doing blogs for me.  But not impossible.  :)  Of course.  Where there is a will there is a way!  I luv blogging, it's just tha I dislike the internet.

Tonight I got to go to a party for something that happened for my friends.  They never had any children of their own.  Now that they have turned 50, they just adopted 3 boys and today (June 1st) was the finalization for the adoption.  So today we celebrated with them!  Not only is it wonderful for them, but also for the three boys.  :D  I always thought it'd be neat to adopt.  I wonder what it's like to adopt?  Is it hard?  Expensive (I've heard it is)?  There was a couple of times we got close to adopting.  It wasn't through any system but more just having them signed over.  I still ache for the little girl we thought about adopting.  Her grandmother decided to take her but it's not necessarily a good thing.  I wonder sometimes if the little girl is okay.  Is she happy?  What was it like for her being hopped around in day cares day and evenings?  Is she adjusted?  She was a sweet little girl just caught in bad circumstances.  Some say I should go for fostering some day but I get scared of having to say goodbye.  Yes, I know that at least I got to have a good influence with them for a few years.  But still.  When the times comes to say goodbye, would I be able to do it?  I couldn't bear giving them hugs, kisses, surprises for Christmas, birthdays, holding them in their fears, rejoicing in their triumphs, then....say goodbye.  It must take some pretty strong people to be able to do that.  It's amazing.