Princess Andrea

For Valentines day, Doug took Andrea on a Father Daughter night. They had a blast. The event was held at our church and Andrea loved all the fun in dressing up and waiting for her dad to arrive home and see her being so beautiful for him. It was such a sweet experience to witness.
Unfortunately it was a Father-daughter night so I could not be there to see how he introduced Andrea when she walked down the aisle (all the dads present had to say something about their daughter). Knowing Doug and how he loves her I am sure it was great. Don't you wish you can sometimes be a fly in the wall?! :-)

Matthew is trying to walk on some homemade stilts after Doug demostrated how is done. There are so many kids pick up from us parents, gestures, words...etc Having children reminds me of how intentional I need to be to lead them in the way they should go.

Timmy had the fun idea of wearing his jacket as pants for his "Silly Day" at school, he looked like he had very short legs, it sure was silly!

Andrea has a song

After raising two little boys and then having a little girl, I am amazed at how different the genders are! Sure I have read a few books on the subject but experiencing it everyday does not stop to intrigue me.

Andrea has such a sweet and kind spirit, she loves talking about what she learns whether it is about the solar system, or the creator of the solar system, she enjoys reading a book with me for the actual reading but more for the bonding that the experience provides.

She brings much can play restaurant by the hour and talk to you about the details on the "menu", she enjoys singing, singing, singing. To Andrea life is a song and in her tender years she reminds me that life can be a song, sometimes a silly song, sometimes an upbeat song, or sometimes quiet song. I so pray that she will always be open to share the song in her heart.

The thrills of skatebarding

Matt loves skateboarding, he is really good at it. Skateboarding brings Matt a lot of pleasure. We are thankful that in the almost three years he has skated he has not gotten injured. We are also very thankful that he has been able to make great friends through this activity. I smile when I think of Matt's drive and persistence when he enjoys an activity. My prayer is that he one day not so far away will give his all to Him that gave His all for him and the rest of the world just because He loved us! Thank you Jesus.

Musical, determined Timmy.

Timmy is quite the musician, he has chosen to play the flute in his school band, all was going well but last week he found out that for their next performance the flutes will be played very seldom during the performance. So Timmy has switched to the saxophone and he has only one week to catch up with the rest of the Sax players who have been playing this instrument for a few months.

Timmy is a very determined young man and with all my heart I want him to catch up with the rest of his group so I am hoping to report he has done it. It will e an interesting experience since he has not yet met a circumstance in his young life where he has not reached his goal as high as this one may have been.

I am amazed at his determination. This is the kid that burned both hands at 9 months old and figured out a way to keep crawling! Got to love his tenacity!

Enjoy your today

Yesterday I learned that my twin sister is coming for a visit towards the end of March. We have not finished January yet and my mind is already way ahead of me in March.
I anticipate the great times we will have together, there is so much to share!
I am excited about her coming wiht her family, I am excited about all the activities we are going to do, I am excited about staying late talking, talking and talking...yet I can not let this excitement rob me from the joys that today brings. While I want March 22nd to be here now! I realize that if I don't let it come when it is supposed to come I might end up cheating myself from all the wonderful gifts each day brings.
I have not yet learnt to live fully my today, I am a person who is constantly trying to figure out tomorrow. Today I am reminded that all I have is today and that what I do with it is what will count tomorrow. So I am going ahead and enjoying this day which has already been fantastic.
I wish you a good day!

All is well with my soul

I am pondering the process of how one becomes religious. After a gathering with some of my girlfriends and listening to their concerns and their trying to figure out how exactly they can please God, I realized that in many cases religion can be born of the pure desire to want to please God.
The problem arises when we believe that we have it in us to achieve this goal which is, according to sripture unattainable. We out of our own strength can not gain God's approval or his pleasure, we need Him to be able to achieve this.

I have lived so much of my life in the pursue of finding out whether I was or not being pleasing to God and now I realized that this pursuit is vain because It has already been achieved for me and what is left for me to do is simply to bask in this love, to receive it each day, to share it with those around me, to never run out of it but to get re-filled to empty myself again.
The problem is that way too often I do the emptying but not the refilling so what I end up giving to others comes out in the shape of religious acts and does not flow from a refilled heart.

Religion tries to help the individual attain that peaceful state when you know it is all well with your soul. Love gives the individual the certainty that all is well with your soul.

I want learn to simply know that all is well with my soul.