Adriana

My baby just turned ten months two days ago. This is a couple days late, I know... sorry. What can I tell you about her... She has the most expressive eyes ever! Her smile is beautiful and her personality intense. Let me share with you a little about her:

::Her most favorite person in the world continues to be me. Contrary to her sister who was (and still is) more of a Papi's fan, Adriana's happiness is completely dependent on my presence. Her face lits up when she sees me and that makes this mama beam with joy! Although it gets a bit trying to do absolutely everything with her in arms, the look in her face is priceless and there's a secret pleasure in knowing that her cry can only be calmed by me.

::She is walking, walking, walking... she is much more quick than Elena ever was and far more determined and focused. Adriana has absolutely no delight in being restrained in any way (car seat, high chair, stroller, back pack, carrier, you name it, she doesn't like it!). She loves to move around, thus you'll find her some times walking laps around the living room just because. There's no purpose or direction, she is just walking.

::She is also discovering how to climb into, out of, and over things. My baby is so tiny that the tub seat that is supposed to work with their own weight to keep their legs in the seat does absolutely nothing for her. Therefore, I can't just sit her there and bathe her sister without constantly checking to make sure she is still sitting there. She is also very quick so it only takes one second of my convincing Elena to let me pour water down her head for Adriana to stand on the seat and lean over it to reach a toy that has escaped her grasp.

::Eating isn't something she's greatly interested in, especially because it requires for her to be strapped into the high chair. If I make her sit through a meal, she won't be the baby that sits there contentedly eating her cheerios or bits of food put on her tray. She'll sweep them off and sit there but squirm and scream for as long as it will take you to finish the meal and pick her up. Yes, she is very determined... she does know what she wants and she wants it right now.

::And so it is that though I knew this baby's personality was going to be "edgy" and intense, I discover every day just how much more intense it can get. I tell her constantly that the Lord blessed her with an amazing strength of character that we need to learn together to "reign it in" and submit it to the Lord for the fulfillment of His purpose in her life.

Projects

Now that my hubby has seen it all, I can freely show some of my "While you were out" completed projects. I won´t post all of them because there are some, like the clean ceiling of our upstairs bathroom (no more mildew growing on it), that aren´t as appealing to look at. I don´t have before pics for all of them, but here you go:


+ Both the curtain rod and curtain are new. I realize that the blue alone is quite bright, but it is still an improvement from either the original plain white, or the light blue (that was really lavender) that we put on it last year ! Ohh, yeah, and we brought out the TV into this room since our "family room" upstairs doesn´t look like it´s going to be ready any time soon.+ This little mirror "thingy" was left behind by them in the entryway of our upstairs apartment. I just transferred it to the entryway of our downstairs AND adjusted it to our height!
+ The valance in the window is new.
+ Out little sign welcoming Papi home!
+ Before: (This is actually even before our first moving down)
+ After:
+ Before:
+ After:
+ Before:
+ After

These are the most dramatic changes Ben found. We did paint the downstairs bathroom but it is such a light shade and small room that no picture can make it be appreciated. This is what kept me busy while my sweet man was away. I have so many amazing ladies (and some great gents too!) to thank for all this! Thanks for all your help!

Off we go...

to the airport, to pick my honey up!!!

Tomorrow

A promise, a joy completed... tomorrow he comes home. Most of the things I wanted to get done got done, some remain on the list waiting for a better day, but then again, the list kept growing as the days went by and I got more ideas, so I am satisfied. We had a great time with the girls, of course, we had challenges, but we are fine.

It has been a week of growth and rediscovery. I have found, once again, that the grace of the Lord is available for each day and that all I need to do is tap into it. I have found, once again, that He is faithful to provide for your every need, even the emotional ones. I have found, once again, that He is also faithful and loving to provide for your every desire. And as my love for my Father has been refreshed, so has the love for my girls and last but not least the love for my husband. I can honestly say that I miss him. I don´t miss what he does around here, I miss him. It seems as a very basic thing, but I think I needed to realize it afresh!

I can´t wait until tomorrow!

Counting days

Well, my girls and I have kept busy so as to make Papi's time away go faster for us. I can't go into detail as I have not yet been assured that my sweetie is not reading this (so honey, if you are reading this, don't even ask!) ;o) Suffice it to say that I have given myself "little" goals to look forward to each day and, so far, I'm very happy and excited with the results. I'll go into details further along!

On another note, I have been learning that the place where my heart is when I minister to my daughters plays a significant role on the kind of day we have. When I'm focused and rested in the Lord, when my spirit is in tune with His, I am a nicer mom to deal with! The girls respond better and even the difficult moments of the day go by without taking away my peace. I forget that my peace has to be Him and not my surroundings. I forget that I bring His peace into my surroundings. I forget that my babies are only babies and depend on me to show them how to find His peace in the midst of life's chaos.

So much to learn... and such a loving Father to teach us!

He's gone...

My sweet man is gone for the longest we've ever been apart since we got married. A week! I know, I know, some of you wonderful ladies out there have probably weathered more than I have. But what can I say? I admit I've been spoiled. At any rate, my "survival" strategy for this week is to keep busy. I have a few projects I want to have done by the time he gets back and most definitely will try to make of it a special time with the girls too.

Happy Birthday "Pita"!!!

Honoring my mother´s birthday!



¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mami! ¡La amamos!

What a Day!

You know it's going to be a good day when

*you get a phone call at 9:00 a.m. telling you they are on their way to the hospital,

*prayer meeting is exceptionally good when your friend receives prayer and words of encouragement, impartation and destiny,

*by the time prayer meeting is done you find out their baby has been born! (good short labor!)

*you know someone will get a surprise,

*you get to hold in your arms the sweet new baby and see again the joy in parent's eyes. There is nothing like a new baby!

*friends get together to work on said surprise

*you watch how God delivers answers to prayer, fulfillment of promises and desires of hearts through the surprise

*you are reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness throughout the day

*you find yourself shedding tears of joy several times through the day

*you go home, count your blessings and cry again at the goodness of our Father!

Happenings

Well, I can't even begin to tell you how busy our life has been these past couple weeks, but it's been good. A lot of thinking and a lot of pondering on the walk of Christianity as we continually interact with people in the ministry. But it is too much to explain right now. So while my mind is clear enough, I'll leave you with these images of my loved ones:

**"It's a non-contact sport," I've been told time and again as Ben heads out to play ultimate frisbee. However, I have learned that such words mean nothing at all when it comes to my sweet husband. Now, this wasn't frisbee, mind you, it was basket-ball--another safe sport. Oh well, the running joke is that I have a good right hook!
**This little girl surprised us yesterday when we came back from church. As I was getting them out of their pretty dresses into their play clothes Elena kept saying: "Mami, nena potty!" I figured I'd humor her (I haven't lost hope) so I took her to the bathroom. Not only did she let me take her clothes off, but her diaper as well. Then, she sat down and after a few minutes of sitting and reading a book, lo and behold, she was jumping up and down exclaiming: "I did it!, I did it!" From there on it's been a very, very unintentional-led-by-her training. I offer and if she accepts we try, if she doesn't we let it pass. Though every time she does go she is so excited about saying "bye,bye" and waving as the toilet is flushed and then celebrating "Yay! nena!" that maybe that'll prove enough motivation. We'll see!
**My now nine-month-old baby girl's favorite activity is walking laps around the room. She walks, and walks, and walks, I think, so as to perfect her new acquired skill. Of course, nursing is still her main sustenance and, truthfully, aside from a few bites off our food at meal times, she hadn't been all that interested in eating much. Now, that led to a rather awkward time at her doctor's appointment yesterday, as for some reason they insist on my trying to get her to eat because "she needs to get it in her mind that she won't always eat from Mom," whatever. She is still my most favorite sweetest tiniest walker ever!


**And one last shot of my two sweeties wearing their Easter dresses, just for fun!

Getting antsy

Well, it is just about that time of year when I feel like I've outlived our present arrangements and a desperate need for change starts to creep in. I just mean in the way our house is furnished and distributed right now. Granted, we are on a very limited budget right now and we can't really afford any projects.

Our "family room" which is supposed to go in our old kitchen upstairs was supposed to be done over the winter. Come spring time, we were hoping to move our TV and some kind of seating up there thus freeing up the space down here for an office. Having the TV and the computer in this room throughout the winter ended up being a good idea because it provided for a smaller space to heat where the girls could bring their toys in and pretty much everything could be done in here. We have electric heat and it gets pricey to attempt to heat every space in the house. However, here we are... mid April already and the "family room" is but a collection of boxes with books from the old living room, plastic tubs with our winter wear, suitcases that upon moving were without a place and are hoping to go up in the attic some day, cupboards that were taken down just to take a look at the wall behind them--leading us to--two walls' upper halves stripped of said cupboards and displaying nasty, old wall paper, bare walls. And that is what we walk through to use our main bathroom upstairs and our bedrooms.

We have no curtains, anywhere... the girls' room didn't really get past the painting stage, the bathrooms are still waiting for their fresh paint, and boxes upon boxes of stuff await to be unpacked and organized somewhere in this dwelling. You know how it is... you can't do one thing until you do this other one, but then again, that one can't really be done yet because it needs for this other one to be done as well.

Now, mind you I am not complaining but merely realizing that my projects will take longer in being completed than I hoped for, but that's ok. There are things far more important than having all I think I need and if God hasn't provided for it, I probably don't need it quite yet.

I will, however think of re-arranging the things I do have for a fresher look and maybe a more efficient distribution... off I go.

This is the Scoop

I am working on translating a book. Back when I said yes, we thought it would be a good idea to brush up on my skills and make a bit of money. However, by the time I got the book, well I haven't caught up with life yet. So, long story short, I am working like crazy to finish and if I'm not nursing a baby, feeding us, kind-of cleaning the kitchen, changing diapers and seeing to immediate little girl needs, I am taking every other minute to sit in front of the computer and work as much as the next situation that needs tending to arises. Movies have been playing non-stop, meals have been kept to the bare minimal and I feel like my house will fall apart. All that to say I am ever so grateful for the opportunity of being a stay-at-home mom and not having the need to go out and work everyday. My heart goes out to those moms who need to go out and work and can't stay home and tend to their little ones. I certainly do not want to add more work to my work load, but above all things, I don't want to be home and not be there for my little family!

There she goes...

I will be happier...

* the morning we wake up without any hoarse voices, runny noses and unhappy little people.

*the day I get dressed in the morning and my clothes don´t look like I´ve been wearing them for weeks after just a couple hours of little noses rubbing against them.

*the temperature outside is at least 50o and we can breathe some fresh air without feeling like we´re about to freeze.

*the morning that goes by normally with no added sadness and crying spells of little girls who feel so sick they don´t know what they want.

ughhh!

One of those weeks

Boy! Do I feel like a palm tree that has just withstood a hurricane! Yet when I look back at my week there aren't really many BIG things, just a bunch of little tiny things that, this week, have just added up to too much for my liking! We have dealt with fevers, bugs, messes, meetings, teething, tantrums, and the list could go on, and on. And though I know I could glean some wisdom from some of my experienced mom friends it is just too much to go into detail right now.

All that being said, though, I feel the need to remind myself afresh of the things I have to be thankful for so I can keep my perspective (and my sanity! ;o) he,he) .

**Above all things I am deeply thankful for the most amazing sacrifice that brought me life! "Jesus paid it all! All to Him I owe!" And, of course, in light of such an sacrifice of love, I feel ridiculous even thinking that my week was "hard".

**If that hadn't been enough... Is there anything more reassuring than knowing that the God you believe in, the God you love, the God you trust is LORD above all things! Not some things, all things. That means all those things I cannot control. That means the times I don't know what to do, not only does He know what needs to be done, He also know why I don't know and will be loving enough to "inform" me as I need to know. All I have to do is trust.

**I am thankful for the opportunity of learning more about being good stewards, not only of our spiritual gifts, but also of our finances and resources. Financial Peace University has come very timely for us and though it has been tricky to make it all work, we feel like we now are telling our every Dollar what to do for us and how. We were already budgeting, had been, actually for quite a while, but there's always room for learning and improving and this has been an awesome opportunity.

**How could I not be thankful for a wonderful man who is committed to be by my side on my bad days as much as my good days (and still loves me after my bad days!). As time goes by and we continue to seek God's purpose and vision for our little clan, we realize how truly "meant for each other" we are. Not that I ever doubted it, but we are amazed at times at how God had all the bases covered when He brought us together!

**And then there's my two little rays of sunshine. The most difficult of days fades away at the sight of their smiles and the touch of their little hands. Both of them love to snuggle, which makes for many a pretty crowded night in our bed, but it is just wonderful to wake up at around 5.00 a.m. to the sound of little feet on the carpet and a little sleepy girl who wants to climb up on our bed and finish her night with us. Once settled between the both of us, she'll stretch her little hands so as to touch us both, and if we happen to be too far, she distributes herself "hand and feet" accordingly. And she even goes as far as to try to be also touching Adriana if she happens to be in bed with us as well! Adriana takes on her own little role when Elena fails to wake us up, and then there's the loving slapping on my face to let me know she's awake. Oh... I would fill this space with the delicious stories of my sweet babies, but I'm sure you get my point and I don't want to bore you.

**What else? A roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, loving friends and family who not only love but support us... need I go on? No, I think this little heart has had enough to realize it wasn't such an awful week after all.

Happy Easter to all!!! He is risen! Can anything else matter more?

God of all

My husband and I lately have been "lending" our individual ears to two different friends. Consequently, we have been watching the amazing ways in which God moves to lead people's lives. I must say not only has it been an honor to witness God's fulfillment of a person's destiny but it has been exciting as well, and I have been reminded afresh that our faith is not blind. We haven't chosen to trust a careless God! He truly is in the details and when it comes to leading one person to their purpose and destiny, if they are truly submitted to Him, there is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Nothing and no one will stand between that person and that divinely appointed destiny. God will do His will in spite of anyone and anything! Have I seen it before? Of course! I have experienced it myself so many times!

When you are in the middle of it though, relinquishing your control is such a tough thing to do. Because you see, you have told Him you want to do His will, but there is still a preference in your heart. There is a desire that deep down inside you may be afraid He won't grant. Yet we don't realize that in saying "Your will, Lord, not mine" we are really signing up for an improved and better version of the dream we thought we had. We fail to understand that our dreams are not the original... His is. His plans for us WERE the original blueprint to that notion of a desire we have in our heart. How amazingly crazy, isn't it?

I will never cease to marvel at how carefully He orchestrates events and situations to create a beautiful story that only He could have authored!

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Mi esposo y yo, individualmente, hemos estado siriviendo de confidentes para dos amigos. Como consecuencia hemos estado observando las formas maravillosas en que Dios se mueve para dirigir la vida de las personas. Debo decir que ver el cumplimiento del destino de Dios en la vida de una persona no solamente ha sido un honor, sino que también ha sido emocionante y me ha recordado de nuevo que nuestra fe no es ciega. ¡No hemos escogido creer en un Dios descuidado y desinteresado! En realidad Él está en los detalles y cuando se trata de dirigir a una persona hacia su propósito y su destino, si en realidad están sometidos a Él, no hay absolutamente nada de qué preocuparse. ¡Nada ni nadie se interpondrán entre esa persona y su destino divino! ¿Lo he visto antes? Por supuesto que sí. ¡Lo he experimentado yo misma innumerables veces!

Cuando se está en medio de la situación, es difícil rendir el control. Porque le hemos dicho que queremos Su voluntad, pero en lo profundo de nuestro corazón hay una preferencia que tememos Él no nos concederá. De lo que no nos damos cuenta es que al decir "Haz tu voluntad, Señor, no la mía" en realidad estamos aceptando una versión mejorada del sueño que creemos haber tenido. No nos damos cuenta de que el sueño nuestro no es el "original" ...el de Dios sí es el original. Sus planes para nosotros ERAN los planos originales de la noción que nosotros tenemos de ese sueño. ¿Qué increíble, verdad?

¡Nunca dejaré de maravillarme del cuidado con que Él maneja las situaciones para crear bellas historias que sólo Él podría haber escrito!

little girls

This little girl likes to come in the kitchen and asks: "Mami help me nena?" And this is what she ends up looking like after she helps in the kitchen!

The other day I was in my bedroom and I could hear her at the top of the stairs yelling "aani"... finally I realized she was calling Ben. When he is downstairs and I need him, I usually go to the top of the stairs and call "Honey" so she was doing the same!

This little girl just figured out how to clap, how to wave and
when she is in the mood she'll do "so big"

She loves to snuggle, in fact, she has a hard time sleeping if she is not. This picture is one of those rare occasions when she stayed sleeping when I put her down and it was just too cute to pass

Eight months today!

My little one is eight months today. How fast time is going! It is funny how months and years seem to fly by and sometimes hours and days feel so long! Yet whether they feel quick or slow, there´s just no stopping them.

Yesterday, we were ready for church and it was still too early to leave (amazing, don´t ask how we managed that, I don´t know myself!), so we decided to linger around in our TV room letting the minutes go by. I sat in front of the computer, Ben turned on the Playstation 2. Between us, on the floor, where two little girls playing. Elena was on her little car that she "rides" around the house, Adriana standing in front of her holding on to the car. In that "zoned-out-but-still-tuned-in" mode that we seem to get into at times I heard Elena say something that sounded like "Walk, Aaana, walk", a quick glance to my right to see what it is all about and lo and behold, Adriana took three steps on her own! For her sister, nonetheless! They kept on playing as if nothing had happened as Ben and I stood still unable to respond. We knew she was close to letting herself go, but we still didn´t expect it yet.

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Mi bebita cumple ocho meses hoy. ¡Qué rápido se está pasando el tiempo! ¡Es curioso ver cómo los meses y los años parecen volar mientras que las horas y los días a veces parecen eternos! Pero vayan lento o rápido, lo cierto es que no hay forma de detenerlos.

Ayer, estábamos listos para irnos a la iglesia y era muy temprano para irnos (no me pregunten cómo, yo misma no sé cómo logramos tal hazaña), asi que decidimos quedarnos en la sala de la tele y dejar pasar el tiempo. Yo me senté frente a la computadora y Ben encendió su Playstation 2. En medio de los dos, en el suelo, dos niñitas jugaban. Elena estaba montada en el carrito en que "pasea" por toda la casa, Adriana estaba parada frente a ella, agarrándose del carrito. En ese limbo en que a ratos parecemos estar en que no estamos poniendo atención pero todavía estamos conectados, oí a Elena decir algo así como "Walk, Ana, walk" (instándola a caminar), di un vistazo rápido para ver qué estaba pasando y para mi gran sopresa, ¡Adriana dio tres pasos sola! ¡Y para su hermana! Ellas siguieron jugando como si nada hubiera pasado mientras que Ben y yo estabamos mudos de asombro. Sabíamos que pronto se iba a dejar ir, es sólo que no lo esperábamos tan pronto.

Weekend

We just got back from a great time here. Courtesy of Dad and Mom L. we had a wonderful time with a good portion of the "Levendusky Clan". Do I really need to say more?

About Adoption

To begin with, I am sorry is I misled anyone with my previous entry into thinking I had been to Guatemala. By having been home I meant her home, which I called my own for a season and is still my "home away from home". Sorry about the mix up.

Now for today's thoughts:
I was browsing a new magazine that reached my hands last week. I don't have much to say about the magazine in and of itself except for a couple articles that caught my eye. One of them, "Adopting Helen" not only caught my eye, but my heart as well, and with a choking voice and tears streaming down my face I read it to Ben in the car. We have a heart for adoption. Not a heart that is moved to tears by every adoption story we hear, but a heart that feels the gentle "tug" of the Spirit with certain stories we've come across.

My experience with understanding and appreciating the miracle of adoption began in my teen years, when we foster cared for two babies that were in the process of being adopted by friends we had in Arizona. I have seen firsthand how miraculously God opens a place in a family's heart for a child. I have witnessed the heart of a little child be knit to that of their "new" family with a bond stronger than blood. Early on I understood that adoption is more than a legal action, it is a Godly endeavor, it is a calling.

We don't necessarily know if and when God may call us to the loving task of adopting but we do know that we have a heart for it. It is so close to my heart, it is so close to Ben's heart, and we know it is even closer to God's heart for He adopted us as His own.

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Estaba leyendo una nueva revista que me llegó a las manos la semana pasada. No tengo mucho que decir de la revista en sí, excepto por un par de artículos que me llamaron la atención. Uno de ellos, "La Adopción de Helen" no sólo llamó mi atención sino también cautivó mi corazón. Con la voz quebrada y lágrimas rodando por mis mejillas se lo leí a Ben en el carro. La adopción tiene un lugar importante en nuestro corazón. No hablo de un corazón que se conmueve al punto de las lágrimas cada vez que escuchamos una historia de adopción, sino de un corazón que siente el gentil toque del Espíritu Santo con ciertas historias que escuchamos.

Mi experiencia en entender y apreciar el milagro de la adopción empezó en mis años de adolescente cuando cuidamos a dos bebés que estaban en el proceso de ser adoptados por amigos nuestros en Arizona. He visto en primera fila la manera milagrosa en que Dios abre un lugar en el corazón de una familia para un niño. He sido testigo de cómo el corazón de un niño se entreteje con el de su "nueva" familia hasta formar un vínculo más fuerte que la sangre. Desde muy temprano me di cuenta de que la adopción no es solamente una acción legal, es una tarea divina, es un llamado de Dios.

No sabemos necesariamente si Dios nos va a llamar a adoptar ni cuando pero sí sabemos que en nuestro corazón hay una pasión por la adopción. La adopción está íntimamente ligada a mi corazón, está íntimamente ligada al corazón de Ben y sabemos que está aún más íntimamente ligada al corazón de Dios porque Él nos adoptó como Sus hijos.

In more ways than one

There's no place like home! It is good to "be home" and it was great to "have been home" over the weekend. It sure was a long weekend of travel that rendered my little girls way too tired but that allowed this Mami for a wonderful time of "retreat and recharge". I have been reminded afresh why it is that we do what we do and that it does work for the glory of the Lord even when the daily grind clouds my vision and I can't see it all so clearly. God does have a reason to let us face the challenges we face and we are indeed fulfilling a kingdom purpose. Ben, in turn, had a different kind of retreat where he was also reminded of important things. Once again we see the blending of our individualities into the wholeness of our union and realize that in God's speaking to both at our different "levels of management", He gave us each a piece of puzzle that we now can make into a whole. There is fresh anointing, new details to tweak our vision and new tasks to accomplish our mission. All that from a weekend away... Isn't God great?