Through A Child's Eyes

Mya came to us the other day all excited because she drew a family picture for me and Dan.  I looked at it puzzled because there were 6 people in the picture instead of 5.  With a big smile on her face, she then told me that the sixth figurine was Jesus....she said, "because a long, long time ago he was here on our Earth." So she decided to put him in our family picture.  How cool is that?  Then she told me that her picture said, "I love you."  I just smiled and glanced over the letters on her page and told her it was nice.  All I saw were letters.  A couple days letter I looked at it closer and realized that it does say "I love you."  The words are just backwards.  She had copied those words on her paper without any guidance.  Smart girl!

Comments

If anyone has a moment, try to make a comment for me on the blog. I know that many of you are not able to leave comments. But I changed a setting so I am hoping that solved the problem.

Pork Roast

On Saturday we woke up and tried our hand at cooking a pork shoulder roast.  It all started because I wanted to do pulled pork, which I have never done.  So when I went grocery shopping on Friday I needed to buy the pork.  The only problem was that they were only selling very large ones.....8 pounders to be exact.  I bought it and figured Dan and I could learn how to do it together.  So that is what we did on Saturday and I must say, we did a fine job.  Dan did all the prep work and then he and I made pancakes and eggs for the girls. Then we decided why not take a day trip to the Fresno zoo.  So we all got in the car and surprised the girls by arriving at the zoo.  They were so excited and we had a wonderful day together. 

Blessings

Dan and I were talking today about how amazing it has been to see people take care of us while we are traveling. Since moving to Porterville, we have been truly taken care of. God's blessings have been abundant. Without knowing us very well, people continue to bless us and make sure we have what we need. Every week it seems like someone is looking out for us. It started with contacting the MOPS coordinator on the way from Ohio to California. She gave us a pack and play without ever having met us. From there we were given two strollers, a blow up mattress and sheets and blankets. The church has lavished blessings on us as well. Just this week I had church members concerned about coats for us for the winter. Another church member told me she wanted to get each of the girls an outfit for Christmas. And yet another one was sad she missed the girls birthdays so she gave cards to them. Inside was a dollar for each of them. You would have thought she gave them the world. I took the girls to the dollar store today and they had a blast choosing a toy to buy with their very own money. To list a few more things we have been given free babysitting, meals paid for unexpectedly, offers for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and a borrowed vehicle for Dan to use so he can come to a Thanksgiving meal when he gets off work. Once again, I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love on a family that people are just getting to know. It has given me a whole new perspective on giving and I hope to pay it forward as often as i can when I have opportunities to help others out.

Thanksgiving

This time of year we take moments to recognize what we are thankful for. It is a sweet time to reflect on what God has given us in our lives. This blog gives me a great opportunity to share with our readers about our Thanksgiving thoughts in California.

Thank you God for.....
*my oldest daughter who gets excited to buy avocados at the grocery store
*all of the family that we have in Ohio who calls us and loves on us while we are so far away
*a husband who likes to snuggle
*our cute little family
*the opportunity to be traveling and paying off debt
*Christmas!
*Christmas music
*Mexican grocery stores...they are so fun!
*exercise
*a baby who goes to sleep every night as soon as we lay her down and close the door
*the public library (wherever we travel) to borrow books and movies for free
*a husband who bathes the kids, brushes their teeth and gets them ready for bed every night
*a car that travels well
*the MOPS group in communities wherever we go
*our kids who find joy in life from taping coloring books together and making a train in the living room
*a place to live
*the iPad
*Skype
*our kids who say "I love you" to us on a daily basis
*our neighbor girl who prayed at our dinner table for the first time yesterday (we have waited 6 months to see that happen)
*salvation

You Won't Believe It!

Just in case you wouldn't believe it if I told you that Dan ate a taco....I have proof!  Our friends invited us over for dinner the other night and she made tacos.  Dan ate them and liked them!

Just One of Those Days

Ever have "one of those days?" The kind where you are so thankful that tomorrow you can start fresh? Today was that day for me. The girls were a challenge and I haven't had a really tough day like this in a while. I guess I should be thankful for that! Each child, throughout the day, found ways to test my ability to be consistent. And I am sad to say that I failed miserably in this area. They disobeyed over and over again. And little, precious Chloe has decided that she needs to see what I am made of too. So all three were hard. I was grateful when Dan got home so I could have some reprieve. Then I took Chloe out for the evening and ran some errands. Separating the family a bit helped calm everyone down. But you know what? Getting away was nice but I didn't truly feel peaceful until I opened the bible. We put the kids to bed and I decided I better get right with God on how I handled the girls today. That is when I had relief. Why did it take me all day before I chose to ask God for help? While I was reading and praying I had the revelation that I have become too busy doing my own things during the day rather than focusing all my attention on the girls. It dawned on me that Mya, especially, is so much like me when I was a little girl. She needs extra attention....that is part of her make-up. And I do not give it to her as much because I am a busy body. I clearly need to work on this. I immediately teared up when I realized how similar we are. I don't want the girls to see me as a busy body, but rather as a mom who has eyes on them because I am watching them and genuinely want to interact with them during the day. My days are numbered with them at home and I can choose to give them all the attention that they need and deserve. I am grateful for a new day so I can try again and start my day with God instead of waiting until I struggle. I guarantee tomorrow will be much better!