Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The History of Technology

Today, my kids had a fun history lesson.

They found our old typewriter.


“Mo---om, where’s the ‘delete’ key?”


“ARGH!!! There is no exclamation point! How are you supposed to type an exclamation?”


Oh, the memories.... I told them all the old horror stories. They don’t know how good they’ve got it.


I began to tell them to begin typing, “The quick brown fox...”


But Sunshine had other ideas.


He’s a comic genius.


Or he’s twisted.


You decide.


Here are some of the random creative things he typed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


And the man turned into a woman -------- could that be the breakthrough that man has waited for?


How could tom have such an ingenius machine?


I can put my foot into your mouth.


Jim can not believe his book because it says "n00b".


Paul is the master at carrot throwing.


Chuck bit his math teachers earlobe, but with no punishment.


Hank don’t know no English...


Vhat do you vant with me?


Kevin consumes adhesives


Jhon is spelled incorrectly


¼ of George is Fred


Bob refuses to jam traffic for his bosses computers hard drive


FAIL.


Herman does enjoy chocolate rain.


Dog lives at "Nevaeh Drive."


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


And so, I am reminded once again to laugh. Just laugh. Sunshine has a way of making us bust a gut. Maybe someday he can use these talents to entertain thousands. Right now, he entertains us.

Blessings to you,

Mamita

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Six Flags

Cupcake had another first this weekend.

We went to Six Flags Saturday. Overall, she did pretty well with the heat and the lines.


She was not at all afraid of the giant characters.



She loved all the junk food. Can you say, "sugar - and lots of it"?



She loved the Log Flume. She hated the line for the Log Flume.

She really liked the big ferris wheel.


The playset in kiddie land was fun.


There's nothing better than old timey cars with Daddy.


We are beginning to enjoy life as a regular family, and it's good. :-)

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The CH CH Water Thing...

Yesterday was the Cupcake's first time to ever play in the sprinkler. Some of the neighbor kids were doing it the day before, and she started asking us if we could play in the "CH CH water thing". The girls had a blast! It was so good to see them having fun together.







Even pup got in on the fun.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Friday, April 24, 2009

17 Years Ago Today...


We fell in love with our firstborn.

Happy birthday,TE!!!

We love you!

Blessings to you,
Mamita

PS. How on earth can I be the mother of a 17 year old? I gotta stop blinking. Every time I blink, another year goes by.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

3 Years Ago Today

April 18, 2006

Daddy and I committed to loving this child...



April 18, 2009

Daddy and I are amazed at this child and her love for us...


Blessings to you,
Mamita

Friday, April 10, 2009

...and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Today, as I consider all that Christ suffered on my behalf, I remember back to a season, not so long ago. When Cupcake first came home, I identified so clearly with the sufferings of Christ. Not that my sufferings were in any way comparable to what Jesus went through. But in that season, I glimpsed a little bit of what His love for us is like.

The child that we had loved and prayed for was finally home. This deep and complete love was not returned. Instead of clinging to us and opening her heart to our love, she lashed out. She was afraid that our authority over her would ruin her life. In fits of rage, Cupcake would attack me, trying to take me down and make me pay.

Normally, I try to avoid pain. But because of my great love for Cupcake, I went toward the pain. In love, I went to her most painful place, so she might find healing. It was messy. It hurt. It was hard. BUT, IT WAS WORTH IT!

I have scars from the battle. They will probably never go away. But they are not badges of courage for me. They are reminders of His great love for me.

I was once afraid of His authority over my life. I was angry at God. I lashed out. Now, I know He is good. He cares. He went to my most painful place to bring me healing.

Jesus Christ went toward the pain because of His great love for us. As we lashed out at Him, He took it. It was messy. It hurt. It was hard. BUT, IT WAS WORTH IT!

You and I are worth it! He gave His life so you and I could know His love.

When I get to heaven, I hope to kiss His scars. They are evidence of His love for me.

If you've never known love like that, I invite you to read Luke 22 and 23. But don't stop there. For the happy ending, read Luke 24.

Happy Easter.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Lessons From the Easy Chair

Since I spent so much time in the La-Z-Boy the last 7 weeks, I had some time to ponder the deeper things of life. Here, in no particular order, are some of the lessons I have learned...

It is not easy to sit in the easy chair when life needs to be lived.

The 1st day, I thought, "Oh, my family is really going to appreciate all I do after this. I'll just consider this to be much-needed rest." Then the reality of what I couldn't do set in. The more I couldn't do, the crazier it drove me. It's just not right for Mom to be on the sidelines.

Choose your husband carefully.


I have always been so thankful for my faithful, hard-working husband, but about 3 weeks into our crisis, I began to really appreciate those traditional wedding vows we exchanged. "... for better or WORSE, for richer or poorer, in SICKNESS and in health...." I'm so glad he took those words seriously.

Choose your church carefully.

Make sure the church you belong to acts like Jesus. I'm talking about sacrificial love. We had meals 3 times a week for 6 weeks. We were prayed for. We got phone calls, visits, cards, and offers of help from so many people, it was overwhelming.

I am not lazy. However, I am not and have not been a good manager of my home.

My house is always a wreck. It's never clean and the work is never done. I used to think I must be lazy because I don't get it all done. Other people seem to get things cleaned up and in order. Now I realize that other people make their kids do a lot more on a regular basis. I really wish I had taught my kids at a younger age to help out more. I really hate to order people around or tell people what to do. I'm not a good manager. But I am now working on it.

Crutches hurt.

Really hurt. In the armpits. I am much more sympathetic to crutch-walkers now.

If you can carry things from one room to another, count that as a blessing.

Sugar has a pretty high tolerance for pain. She's tougher than I gave her credit for.

God is awake and answering prayer at 2:00 in the morning.
AMEN!

It takes skill to walk with crutches while dragging along an IV pole after surgery. I've got skills. :-)

Those little motorized wheelchairs at Target are pretty cool.

TE is an excellent chauffeur and is a very fine helper at the store.

Sunshine has a servant's heart. He is the first to jump up to help when I call.

Sugar is sympathetic and a great zookeeper. She picked up the slack and takes care of the pets without complaint.

Cupcake is a natural nurturer. She really knows how to take care of people.

Gallbladder surgery can be a "piece of cake" or "incredibly painful" - depending on who you talk to. (My experience was closer to "incredibly painful".)

His strength is made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I know this. I have known this. But, recently, I lived this. Being absolutely powerless, having no control over circumstances is humbling. I am not as self-sufficient as I like to think I am. To see His hand move. To see God orchestrate His people to be there, to help at just the right time. If everything just keeps on moving smoothly, you never get to see His glory. It's most clear when you are at the end of yourself. God is big enough and strong enough to take care of me and my whole household - even if I can't do anything to help Him.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Gymnasta-kicks

Cupcake has been doing gymnasta-kicks (gymnastics) since last fall. She love, love, loves it! She has made huge improvements in her motor skills, as well as her listening and obeying skills. It has been a wonderful experience. Here are some pictures from class....



Last night, we went up to the local school to play on the playground. Daddy and Cupcake have been practicing their own form of gymnasta-kicks. You can hear my "almost heart attack" in this video.






What is even funnier is that Daddy did his own flip on the high bar. I wish I had caught that "almost heart attack" on video.

And finally, here are some other pictures from our playground trip.



Blessings to you,
Mamita

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Riding Bike

Oh dear! My baby is growing up! She just figured out the pedals and off she went.





While she was riding, she started counting. I asked her to do it again for the camera. she's quite a multi-tasker, you know.


Blessings to you,
Mamita

Friday, April 3, 2009

Hair Pics





It's hard to get a good picture of Cupcake's "haircut", but this is the best I can do. Lucky for her, she has so much volume, it really is hardly noticeable -- it kind of looks like she is growing out bangs.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Freedom Day! :-D

I got my cast off this morning! YEAH ME!

The ankle healed with scar tissue instead of bone tissue, so I may still need a screw put in. He just said to wait and see. If it hurts more and more, then I will need the screw. If the pain gets less, no screw. I have and air cast (brace) for the next 4 weeks. I will use crutches for the next few days while I regain some strength. Then, I will be able to drive as long as I can brake with my left foot. YEAH! Things are looking up for me (and my whole family).

I'm still trying to get a good picture of her hair. She's being a little camera shy about it.

Blessings to you,
Mamita