Happy Birthday Evancito!! Little Tornado Turns 2!!

Happy Birthday Corazoncito, I can hardly believe that you have turned two already. Que Chulo mi precioso! I remember when you were on your way and the due date was here. I flew to San Antonio to greet you and help out as much as I could. I waited in the waiting room with your big brother until finally we were beckoned into the delivery room. There you were in all of your glory, so perfect and beautiful. Your perfectly shaped face with incredibly white soft skin, curly eyelashes, and your equally perfectly shaped head covered with shiney black hair. I was in awe of you. I was the first one to hold you (after your parents of course) and as I melted all around you I felt that love again like when your brother was born and I held him in my arms for the first time. The love that swept my heart and soul for you is like a fire that will never be quenched. You will always be my Mijitito.

Happy Birthday Noel - 8 years old today!

I called my grandson today to wish him happy birthday. "You are getting so big" I told him, "Do you feel older?" I asked. "Yes" he said "I feel eight."

Happy birthday Mijito, God bless you and keep you safe forever and ever!

I remember the day Noel was born. His father was overseas serving in the Marines and was stuck on a ship over in the Sea of Japan. His lovely wife, CJ, had been calling me all night long with reports of what sounded to me as being early labor. I hopped on a plane in the morning and flew to Camp Pendleton to meet and greet my grandson into the world. When I held him in my arms for the first time my heart melted and I was his forever. Love flowed through me like water through a fountain. I will never forget the joy, love, and fierce possesiveness that flooded my heart and soul. He was mine, flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bones. I couldn't take my eyes off him, he was so beautiful.

August 31, 2006 ~Happy 31st Birthday Mijo!

My firstborn turned 31 on the 31st of August. I love you Mijo and I am so proud to call you my son. My precious first born; the one who first called me Mama and claimed my heart forever. You are no longer a baby, but a full grown man with a family of your own. My heart swells with pride when I see that you are a good provider, and a loving husband and father. You are so good to me, and when I visit you, you and your lovely family make me feel so special and cherished. My wish for you is simply God's best!

August 22, 2006 ~Happy 21st Birthday Baby!

On August 22, 2006 we celebrated our daughter's 21st birthday.

God bless you Sweetie and God grant you many more years of life, health, and strength. You are such a blessing to us!

I remember when I found out that I was expecting you. Your father and I were thrilled beyond belief. You were conceived in love and we wanted you so much. At about 10 to 12 weeks along I started to have some symptoms that concerned me; my body hurt and ached, I knew something was terribly wrong. I rushed to see the doctor and he sadly confirmed that I might lose you. He sent me home to strict bed rest, telling me that there was nothing more he could do, it was in God's hands.

When your father and I got home I immediately layed down on the couch, your father sat on the floor beside me and we began to pray. We committed you into God's hands. We prayed through our tears until God gave us the grace to accept the fact that we might lose you at any moment. We felt so much better, then we began to feel faith stirring in our hearts and our prayers took a new turn.

We asked God to heal you, and if He so choosed, we prayed that you be a girl. He said He would give us the desires of our hearts, did He not? Nevertheless, we committed your fate into God's sovereign will and promised to accept whatever He decided was best.

When Sunday morning came around I felt a strong desire to go to church. We had been helping out as youth leaders at Faith Tabernacle UPC in Manteca, CA. I got dressed to go. Your father tried to keep me home, reminding me that I was confined to bedrest. But with faith in my heart I declared to him, "I have to go to church, God isn't going to let anything happen to me!" When he saw my faith he didn't say another word but trusted that it was of God.

From the start of the service there was a mighty annointing in the church. You could feel the presence and power of God. While the first song was being sung, Bro Richardson suddenly leapt off the platform and said with a loud voice, "God wants to heal someone today!" I knew it was for me and I rushed forward to receive my healing. As he laid his hands on my head to pray for me I felt the healing virtue of God go through me from head to toe like a hot oil and I felt the baby leap within me. I knew I was healed. Praise be to God!

A few months later you were born healthy and there were no complications whatsoever. My miracle baby, my gift from God.

A few weeks later we dedicated you to the Lord and we promised God to raise you for His service. We knew you belonged to him and we were only going to be your earthly parents. We know from where our blessings come and you are one of them.

You have a special purpose, an annointing, and a calling. Keep your hand in His and He will lead you all the way. I love you forever.

Let the circle be unbroken...

Yesterday we were relaxing outside, sitting in our patio reading, when our daughter sighed and said, "I want to do something." She was so bored and she looked so pitiful. My husband and I looked up in dismay, we had planned to enjoy a day of 'vegging'. Oh dear. Well, I thought, it is Labor Day and maybe we should shake ourselves out of our lethargy and do something. So I got on the horn and called the family and told them to come on over in a couple of hours and we'd BBQ and play games.

I ran over to "La Perla" and bought 6 pounds of their marinaded carne asada and rushed back home. Jerry was already getting the grill ready and I put the water on to boil the potatoes so that I could make a potatoe salad. In 2 hours we had a feast. My mom brought over a tasty cold nopales (cactus) salad, Donna brought over a tangy, little broccoli salad and a sweet "pink" salad - both of these were sugar free, lowfat. I served the 'killer' potato salad and the meat was grilled to perfection. We heated up the tortillas and sat down to enjoy our meal.

The main thing I want to share with you is that since my husband hurt his arm in an accident last May we have started a new family tradition, and that is that we hold hands when we say grace before our meals. It started simply as my way of sneaking in a little extra prayer for my hubby's wrist and arm to heal. So when my daughter, husband and I reached our hands to each other to pray it triggered a chain reaction. I had my eyes closed but I felt my father's hand reach for mine on the left. Wow! I thought, my dad wants to pray holding my hand! I was thrilled and held on for dear life - enjoying every moment of it. Unbeknown to me everyone had reached for each other's hand and we had formed a circle all around our table.

After we stuffed ourselves into hog fever we played Phase 10; it was great and I won!

Acts 2:42-3:1
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship , to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Killer Potato Salad Recipe
5 lbs potatoes - boiled in jackets then peel and cut up into 1" squares
6 eggs hard boiled and chopped up
1 small white onion chopped up
7-8 stalks of celery, finely chopped
3 spoonfulls of sweet pickel relish
mayonaise - about 1 cup
3 good squirts of mustard
1 capful of apple cidar vineager
1 packet of splenda
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together adding potatoes and eggs last. Garnish with hard boiled egg slices and sprinkle with a few dashes of chile powder.

Salud!

Home at last!

Home are the travelers, home from far and wide.

My son Nathan traveled to Moscow for a four week language and cultural immersion experience with the University of San Antonio. He has learned to speak Russian and has now attained 'survival' language skills.

My daughter Jeriann was in the Philippines working with missionaries on the island of Cebu for three months. She went there on the A.I.M. program through our church. Visit www.upci.org and go to Foreign Missions to read more. She loved her work there and God blessed the hand of her labor.

They came home happy and fulfilled and have a lot of stories to tell. You can visit their blogs to get every morsel of information. I thank God for their safe journey home.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful .

Gracias a Dios!