"Elenisms"

::Her newest thing is posing for the camera... here, she is sporting a wig and some red lolly-pop in her lips

:: Our little girl came to our bed last night and got as close to me as she could. Upon waking up this morning and asked if she wanted pancakes for breakfast she replied: "Yes, Mami, ca-cakes... songa (snuggle) first!" And snuggle we did!

:: After breakfast Elena was on the couch saying in a very low and deep voice "Lion king fatherrrr" then she'd laugh her little head off and said "That's funny, mami". Now, this is the story behind such line: I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so Ben took care of the girls in the morning and ended up having to bring them to the office with him. He told me that in order to keep them entertained during breakfast he began telling them lines from Star Wars (if you know my husband, you don't need to ask) so he'd say in a low and deep voice "Luke, I am your father"! It is beyond me how Elena translated that into lion king father, especially because she hasn't seen that movie recently and obviously, she doesn't realize that both voices belong to the same actor!

:: We had to stay longer than usual in church after Saturday night service. Everybody was gone and we were just waiting for Ben to be done. As we waited, Elena approached me and said: "Mami, I need to play my beautiful games" I said "ok" and followed her, curiosity piked to see what she was referring to. She found the controls for some kind of video games that the youth keep there and began pushing buttons to her heart's delight. When we came home and I was putting her down, we prayed for "the usual suspects" but when I said "in Jesus' name" and was ready to close the prayer, she interjected: "No, Mami.... Jesus bess nena's beautiful games"... talk about submitting to the Lord every aspect of your life!

Mushrooms

As most of you know, I grew up in the city. Seeing mushrooms grow in your yard was a very rare occurrence. The very few times it happened, we'd find a tiny specimen that would almost require a microscope to appreciate. So I find myself quite intrigued by the appearance of these humongous monsters in our yard! Bear with me, please, as I post these pics for the amazement of my fellow city-folk!

This one was the first we saw in September.

Now this one we found a couple weeks ago and decided to leave it to see how far it grew.
The girls and I went to check on it yesterday to find that it was getting mushy and yellow, so our ideas of kicking it were quickly discouraged and we just took a couple pictures for my mom and our own amusement.

And this one I took for reference to the size... look at the size of that monster!

New day, New hair

Isn´t she just precious? I couldn´t pass on the chance to show off my little girl!

:: After well over 6 months since I last got a haircut, I went on Monday and went the practical way. I asked the lady to cut it so that I could just get out of the shower and be ready for the day. She was nice enough to spare me a shocking change, so she said she´d still leave it long enough for me to pull back on a pony tail. So 7 inches later, this is the end result. I miss my long hair but it sure feels nice to just walk out of the shower and not have to worry about what my hair will look like!

:: My Mom left yesterday. All of a sudden it feels like my work just multiplied overnight... well, it really did. In spite of my constant nagging her not to, she did so much around here that after being so spoiled I have to re-learn living with two little girls! She was a blessing to have and we sure miss her. Adriana every so often starts walking around the house chanting "Ti...ta... wha you?" over and over again. They both miss her, but I am happy to see that, so far, they´re adjusting fine to the temporary presence of my family. I definitely see the grace of the Lord in that they don´t forget them easily and when they see them again it´s almost like the just pick up where they´d left!

:: The fall hasn´t settled in fully yet and we are already dealing with the first runny noses of the season. This extension of warm weather, I admit, has made it hard to switch into full gears so I haven´t yet done anything to try and limit the "propagation" of germs. You guessed it, next thing on the list is stocking up with disinfecting supplies!

My baby needs me

I am awaken by the cry of Adriana and get out of bed in a hurry. I pick her up, take her pajamas off and bring her to bed with me, after all, this is the fifth time she has woken up tonight, it must be really, really late (or should I say, early). I settle her in bed and try to hurry before she wakes everybody else up. A quick glance at my nightstand clock... I squint a little harder to make sure I'm reading correctly. It is only 1:00 a.m. I say only because usually the "bring-her-to-bed-so-you-can-sleep-longer-part" doesn't come until about 3:00. Yeah, this is one of those nights. Every once in a while she gets into this little pattern of waking up almost every hour and this is the second night this week.

My sweet, sweet girl is 14 months old. She still nurses about every two hours at night time. I don't know if it is personality or that her little body still needs it but I truly am her pacifier and she still truly drinks when she nurses. At this age, Elena was weaned... On the one hand, I was already pregnant with Adriana, but then again, she has always been a little less attached to me than Adriana. She also nurses often during the day.

Now, I'd be lying if didn't admit to the fact that night time can be really hard. I really like to sleep, especially at night time when I've spent my day seeing to my family's need and my body is aching for a bed. So I don't particularly enjoy that since Adriana was born I don't think I've gotten more than 3 hours straight. During those lonely, dark hours I usually have this conversations with the Lord... Is she ok, Lord? Is she ever going to wean? I mean, I could really use a full night of sleep here and there, you know. Am I doing something wrong? This couldn't be bad for her, could it? and then I check to make sure she is cool enough, warm enough, comfortable enough, whatever-else-I-can-think-of enough, tuck her in her crib and go back to bed just to turn and do it again in no more than two hours.

But then, at the same time, somewhere in between my mind wanderings I stop, look at her and think: My, oh my, she still needs me. My hand touches her soft little feet, even in the darkness I can see her precious, delicate features and her little hand finds its way under my shirt looking for the warmth of skin. Those few minutes, when I finally make the voice of my mind stop complaining and appreciate what these quiet little moments can be all about, I am blessed. My baby still needs me and I can soothe her... what else can I ask for? These nights will soon be gone, she will be on to new stages of her little life and I will be missing this season...

Apple picking

A week ago, we took the girls apple picking. They loved it even though we had to cut it short due to rain. Adriana had the most fun, picking and biting them one by one and dropping them again as she kept finding more! Finally she settled for holding one in each hand, but she never let pass the opportunity to bite any other that came close to her mouth!

Where we've been

After four years of living in New York, we finally went to see the Niagara Falls! I think they're absolutely gorgeous! Here a few pics.

Getting our ponchos on for the ride on the Maid of the Mist! It was a warm and sunny day, just perfect!

Elena was really excited to see the "wafalls"

She loves boat rides! So, some of us had a better time

than others... Adriana couldn't get past the annoyance of wearing a poncho!

on of the breathtaking sights!

We had a fabulous time! We spent a couple nights with family and took a much needed break, plus we are squeezing the juice out of my mom's stay with us. We have been apple picking and we plan on going to a pumpkin patch some time this week, but more pictures of all that fun later. For now, bear with me as we swing into a new routine!

A very few pics

All the ladies (this wasn't the official photographer, so Melody can't really be seen)

The bride and her flower girls

Adriana stealing the bridal bouquet away...

As we saw the bride walk in...

It was a gorgeous day, an amazing setting, a beautiful ceremony... my, my, my... what a great beginning for a new love story!

The Big Day!

Today is the big day we've been preparing for the last few months. Today, two lives will become one. Seasons of prayer, pondering and seeking of God's will are over. Days of planning and preparation have come to an end. Today is a day of celebration! What an amazing gift God gave us when He thought of marriage. And the cherry on top? Today, a bride leaves my home to walk down the aisle that will lead her to her groom. This little home has been a part of it and this whole house is busting at the seams full of people celebrating. All of it thanks to God's blessing and provision to our own lives! Happy day!

This week

• Well, for starters, my Mom is here! She's been here for a week already and the girls are having the greatest time with her.
• The wedding is this Saturday (that is, Dan Wolford and Maria Hackel's). This whole little family is in the wedding, so the week is flying by as we prepare and help with last minute details.
• And that, is pretty much all I have time for as everything else would be way too elaborate to get into, so I'll catch up later!
  

Joining

We are joining in prayer for this little family. (In the pictures: This is only baby's dad, as mom is in another hospital recovering from delivery)

Stretching

It is safe to say that we are being stretched and are also growing, but at the same time we are dying.

I have been reminded afresh of the illustration of marriage being like a bow (as in archery). The structure represents the husband and the string, the wife. When I heard God's whisper in my heart about the hand that is doing the stretching, I could see in my minds eye a bow in preparation for shooting. How much tension goes in the process! The bow gets bent, the string gets pulled and they stay together as the hand pulls. A premature release of the tension would result in an inefficient throw. The mark would most definitely be missed. We do not want to miss the mark, whatever it is God wants to accomplish in and through us in this season, we want to be faithful to reach. So both of us are holding as hard as we can... holding on to Him and holding on to each other. It is definitely not easy but we know that it is for good, for growth, for life! As long as it His working in our lives, however uncomfortable, we say yes.

At a loss for words

I have to say, my writer's block continues. There is so much going on and I truly don't know where or how to focus (in writing). Let's see:
:: My dad is feeling better (or I should say doing better, for what I hear he is not necessarily feeling all that well).
:: My mom didn't come on Thursday. She will try to get on Sunday's plane.
:: We had a great week with them visiting. It has been the longest we've been able to hang out together since we got married. Our house feels empty now that they left... but we did have a wonderful time!
:: Today we are babysitting her.
:: Decisions seem to be the order of the day, some for ministry, some for family, some for finances but all decisions that need careful thought and prayer. I have come to learn that the process of making such decisions is as important as the decisions themselves, so usually keeping to myself keeps me from getting in trouble. I don't want to speak out of time or be led by my emotions. Trust me, they're right there, ready to pop their head in any minute.
:: Remember what I was saying before about coming to the cross? Well, in continuing with that post and as we face decisions and yet more stretching, I did ask the Lord, "How much more are we going to be stretched?" His whisper in my heart was clear... "Don't ask how much but know that the hand stretching you is mine"... That is enough for me to know that this stretching is for growth, for life, for love. It doesn't have to be fun or easy, but it is meant for good and that is all that matters.

Disappointed

My Mom was supposed to come on Saturday night. She is flying stand by, though, so she hasn't been able to board two flights already. Her next chance will be Thursday night. We made a little calendar with the girls, it has my mom's picture and we called it "Days 'til Pita comes". It had a flower and we numbered each petal and we would take one off and count the days left for her to come. At this point, out little flower has no more petals left... and the anticipation and excitement of her coming has turned into a daily prayer with the girls that she'll get a seat on the next plane.

Needless to say, I am so very disappointed and have absolutely no way to change things. The girls are fine... we pray everyday and the motto of our life has become "One more day and Pita comes!" Now, I do need to say that it turned out being ok because my dad hasn't been feeling well and so my mom will be taking him to the doctor today to figure out what's wrong with him and hopefully he'll have some time to recover before she leaves.

Oh well... hopefully we will finally see her on Thursday.

Writer's block

My apologies to my faithful friends who still visit this site, it has been hard to keep up with it lately. This has been an interesting season, to say the least. This season I have learned a lot about myself, my little family, and the calling we have to serve. Between not feeling well, the busy-ness of the summer, and trying to keep up with life alone... Let me put it this way: Have you ever seen the palm trees during a hurricane? I've only seen them on TV, but that is close enough for me to get the illustration. I find it so interesting that they're shaken by the winds that seem to be hitting them with all they have and the palm tree bends, and bends, and shakes, and bends a bit more. It may loose a coconut or two (ok, it looses all of its coconuts) but in the end it is still standing. Beat up, shaken, but standing and holding on to dear life with all it has.

Well, that is how I feel right now, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I am tired. I know I've said that before. I actually have thought I felt tired before, but now I am truly feeling it.

So, what do you do when every single aspect of your life seems to be acting up on you? Go to the cross... I'm definitely not done with what I want to say here, but this is the third time I attempt to finish this post, so I'm going to stop here and hopefully later try to catch up again.

Prayers will be highly appreciated, for wisdom, for grace, for energy, for solace and every other thing that comes to your mind!

trial

trying a new twmplate

I know, it´s been a while

But here I am,

after two months of planning,
hunting for teapots at garage sales, thrift stores and anywhere we could think of,
borrowing enough tea cups and dessert plates to serve around 70 people,
making 80 "empanadas" and baking another 80 almond crisps,
spending two days setting up...

I can officially say I am exhausted and very, very slowly trying to get my house back to normality. But it was totally and absolutely worth it! I enjoyed every minute of it, from the preparation to the actual delivery. I didn´t take very good pictures because I was caught up hosting the event, so my pics don´t do it much justice. Enjoy them, anyway!

The teapots were our centerpieces and we used mismatched china in every table.

The place were we had it was once a small theater, so we used the stage and the backdrops for the opening of presents. These pics were taken before the guests arrived, but you have to believe me, there was hardly any room for the bride on this stage once all the gifts came in!This water jug was also a loan, so I perpetuated it in my memory with this picture... I totally love it!

This was the view as you came in the door (before I finished dressing all the tables with the centerpieces)

The happy bride and me (oh yeah, and my Adriana squeezed in between)This is also the unfinished food table, all the food is still missing...
by the end it was lovely full with great baked goods that so many people brought!


I had so much help, I can´t even begin to tell you. I would have never pulled it off without so many people "chasing after my grandiose illusion". Thanks to all that helped!

What can I say!

The paragraph below was a posting I began writing on July 25th. I hadn't realized it's been so long since I last sat in front of this screen! I hope it's ok, as I don't think I had time to proofread it!

"You don't want to be her pacifier" were her words as we talked about my little Adriana's frequent and sometimes (ok, often) prolonged nursing sessions. We were at Adriana's one year appointment at the doctor's office. The P.A. was responding to my report on how hard it is to say how many times she nurses a day because it varies according to the day's events. If she falls and gets upset, she'll nurse, even if only for 5 minutes. She nurses for comfort a lot. I wished I could have poured out my heart to this lady... I couldn't. I'm not sure whether I should have said anything, really. Sometimes I have a hard time determining when a response to such a comment would be "witnessing" or simply "casting my pearls out." All I said was "Well, I really don't mind." The truth is, why should I?

I truly think of it a blessing to be able to soothe my little girl. I try to use this times to tell her how the Lord can help us cope with our every day frustrations and how much He loves her and wants to soothe her. I tell her she can always count of me and I love her dearly but there is one love that is far better than mine and it is His perfect love.

This season, in hindsight will be so short in comparison to all the years she'll be away from me. So much to my doctor's disappointment I won't be looking to wean her sooner than she is ready to...

My baby is one!

Can you believe this? It feels as though just yesterday we brought her into our little home and then again, I can hardly remember life without her! She is so precious. I have told before of her strong determination. She is not the type of baby that can be distracted away from the object of her attention so easily. However, there is one thing that delights her little heart enough to hold her attention away from "trouble", at least momentarily, that is music. Whether it is a song on a worship CD or just a partial tune on a toy, she will stop on her tracks, look up at you, smile and start dancing!

Being an early walker, she is of course, an early climber. Still it is hard to keep up with her quick pace. It may take her a bit to learn a skill, but once learned it doesn't take her long to master it. For instance, Ben figured with her adventurous nature it would be wise to try to teach her how to climb up the stairs. We had caught her attempting to do it before, so he walked up the stairs showing her how to move her little arms and legs to climb up. He did it only once. The very next day, she sneaked out on us for a couple of minutes and climbed the whole flight of stairs on her own. All I know is that Ben said: "Honey, I hear her on the stairs," and much to my dismay I found her all the way up, holding on to the gate at the top! Our whole flight of stairs in just a minute or two I can't tell you how far down my stomach dropped.

One of her newest discoveries has been the computer keyboard. Her face lights up when I sit her on my lap. She immediately sticks out her little fingers and goes for the keys and if she sees my hands anywhere near hers, she'll quickly (and decidedly) push them away to keep it to herself.

And so, her determination and her ability to focus lead her to solve problems rather quickly. Her adventurous nature keep her discovering new things constantly. Her independent spirit takes her beyond her limits and yet she is still so much of a baby that can't be away from this proud and happy mom for long. For the first time ever she slept last night (or should I say this morning) until 4 a.m. (I am not holding my hopes high, this may be a one time thing more than a page turner in the life of). I cannot imagine where God will take my little girl, all I know is that my life is ever richer and happier by her presence! Happy first birthday, sweet girl!

To train or not to train

Potty train, that is. After my two bathroom adventures yesterday I am beginning to think that I do not want to take the girls into a public bathroom until they are old enough to be disgusted by public bathrooms themselves! I was happy to read that I'm not the only one facing such dilemma, though. I mean, really, how do you convince an almost-one-year-old that the fact that the toilet is at the height of her mouth doesn't mean she actually has to put her mouth on it?! And then, how much soap do you use to try to wash them clean? ...and then there's the crawling on the dirty floors, the pulling of the toilet paper a sheer fear of the hand dryer... it was crazy enough to leave this mama wanting to let them wear diapers until they're about 10!

My Dad´s Birthday!

Feliz cumpleaños, Papi... ¡Lo amamos!