The Fair

The County Fair is in town! I was looking forward to entering a couple projects in the arts and crafts competition, but it kind of snuck up on me... I sure didn't expect the fair to be in February.

We went yesterday and had a lot of fun looking at the contests and animals. There were some really big cows and pigs there! The kids liked seeing that. And there was a little petting zoo. It had a few goats and lambs, some really fluffy chickens, a large, black rabbit, and a young camel. Abe took the Theona and Jecoa in and the biggest goat (who was bigger than Theona, but a miniature anyway) come running over to them. Theona hid behind her papa, and I was a little nervous for them, but I think she was just coming over for some treats (we didn't get any). After being greeted by Abe, she was on her way. The kids liked seeing the animals up close, but the only one they petted was a chicken! It was pretty cute, I would have captured the moment, but our camera battery died right before they went in.

Then we had to go play a game. My favorite game is the throw the dimes in the glass, you get one in you get the glass, you know... Well we threw a couple dollars worth of dimes at the glasses. It was pretty cute, Theona got the hang of throwing them up high, Jecoa threw 4 or 5 straight at the ground, and Abe and I had fun trying our hand at it. We went home with three glasses, actually! One of them was a mug that said "2000" on the handle. Ha ha.

We also went on the "BIG SLIDE" - the only "ride" Theona has gone on. I took Theona and Jecoa

So, Abe was invited to be part of judging the barbeque contest on Sunday afternoon. I know he'll enjoy that! And we will probably go back then to walk around and see the animals again.

There is No One Like Our God

Yesterday evening we went to a church in our town that we had been wanting to visit since we moved here. I don't know why we put it off... It's a Spanish-speaking fellowship. I think Abe was concerned that I wouldn't get much out of it or something... I barely know enough Spanish to get by in a Christian setting. I don't do well with it out and around town, but I know "church Spanish" I guess! Ha ha.

It was a wonderful service. The teaching was about love. Can't get enough of that, huh?! The Lord totally ministered to my heart. Limited Spanish abilities and all, and the worship time was so special. It's been a long time since I've worshiped the Lord by singing in Spanish. They played a translation of a new English song I listen to online sometimes, and a couple older songs that I knew. It was great!

Tonight I got on youtube and looked up a couple of Spanish worship songs that I like and remember. Here's one of them. It's really awesome to see all these people gathered for (what I would call) a worship concert. (Is that what they call it, cause that's sure what it looks like!) Notice about half way through the people with the "Jesus" banner. Awesome!

Midnight trip to Mexico

Last night Jecoa wasn't feeling well.

He had been teething all day, and screaming all afternoon (accompanied by drooling and chewing his fingers, poor baby.) In the evening his breathing seemed very shallow, almost like he was panting, but he seemed normal off and on, so I decided to wait and see. Maybe he was just doing that because he was in pain.

He played off and on from dinner to bedtime, then went down like normal. But he woke up about 10:30, just a couple hours later, and really didn't seem like himself. He was so tired, but was fighting to stay awake. His breathing was strange and shallow and he was grunting and moaning. I was concerned.

My kids rarely get sick, so I am always worried I'm over-reacting when they catch a little something. This time I was sure I wasn't over-reacting! I called Abe at work and told him he should come home right away and take Coa to the doctor.

We knew of an emergency clinic just across the border, in the town near us in Mexico that some of our friends here had taken their kids to. Abe called a friend to come with him since we aren't too familiar with that town yet, and they were off.

I think it's about a 30 minute drive, they arrived at the clinic and thankfully there were just a couple other people there. They got in quickly and the doctor told Abe it was bronchitis. (I'm so glad I sent them! I tend to get bronchitis easliy and I'm glad I didn't wait for it to get worse.) He prescribed Jecoa a decongestant and a breathing treatment and they were on their way.

Of course, since they were in Mexico they had to stop on the way back to get some tacos! Jecoa hadn't eaten very well for dinner, so it was good he got a "midnight snack" too. They got home about 2:30 and everyone was in bed by 3:00. Yeah, 3:00a.m. I was wishing for a little extra sleep this morning, but the kids only slept in an extra half hour.... At least I got a little extra.

And I was so glad to wake up to my big boy feeling much, much better this morning.

Debt Freeeeee!

Well, here is something to celebrate: We paid off our little black car today!

Early in our marriage we incurred a little debt. Really not too much, but then the interest rates went way up and it was a struggle to get taken care of. Then my car was totaled and we got a car loan and bought the little black car.

THEN we figured out that living with payments here and there was NOT the way we wanted to live!

We started paying off all those little things as fast as we could and got rid of our credit cards (and then heard about Dave Ramsey on the Radio!) and all we were left with was the car loan.

Well, today Abe made the last big chunk of a payment and paid it off! We now own two cars. How exciting. But even more exciting (In Dave Ramsey Style) :

WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

No-Sew Baby Carrier

No-sew baby carrier- this is a pretty creative idea! I have a few different styles of baby carriers, but I don't have one that is absolutely my favorite or suits all our needs so, I'm always a little curious to try another one. Many of the different baby carriers are so expensive, too , and here's a very inexpensive carrier (possibly free if you have the sweats sitting around).

Anyway, I'm putting this link here mostly for me, in case I come across the prefect pants and want to give it a try.

Prayer

There was a shooting this morning in the town in Mexico, just across the border from us. Please pray especially for safety of the children at a local orphanage.

All I have heard is that the shooting was drug related, and sadly some children were shot. Schools in that city and the boarder crossings in our area were closed today.

Accidental Kitchen Clean-up

This morning has been such a busy one!

We've had rain, so that's refreshing. It's been so hot and humid the last week. Mostly mid-eighties! I think that's entirely too hot for February. Saturday was so warm even just a onsie was too much for my little winter baby. I had him laying around in just a diaper during the heat of the afternoon!

So, this morning... Abe got up early. I made eggs and chorizo for breakfast (yum! a favorite lately). He was off to work, the baby was nursing and the big kids were fighting! (Today, every time one child had a toy the other wanted it! A few times they both had a toy and were crying for what the other had. I found myself suggesting repeatedly, "Why don't you trade?" They would, then they were happy...briefly.

I got baby settled for a morning nap, and went back to my breakfast dishes. I had started a load of laundry and there was a lot of background noise from that. Then the big kids were having trouble. I helped them settle it. Then the baby was fussing. I un-swaddled him to see if he needed a change. Then Jecoa was upset about not getting his toy to work and was crying.

THEN...

I looked over and my WHOLE KITCHEN FLOOR was covered with water! I had left the water running and it had overflowed! Honestly, I can't remember having done this ever before, I've come close a couple times, but it has never actually made it out of the sink.

I was feeling so bummed at this point. We have invited people over for dinner and I had planned on having a peaceful day making a couple loaves of bread and getting the kids closet back in better order (I think it's time to pass along some of their clothes!) So, I got on with the situation at hand. I turned off the water and ran and grabbed a couple towels before the water got to my living room rug. I turned on KWVE (K wave internet radio, our favorite radio bible teaching). I dried and scrubbed the floor (hey there was already hot water there, might as well scrub!) I got to the counters and realized a few of my favorite cookbooks had gotten wet. I'm disappointed about that, but they are laid out to dry. Water has also gone under my sink and all my canned storage, plastic bags and cleaners had gotten wet. I had to remove them, dry them and then put them back (I threw out the empty things and trash, and re-organized while I was at it!)

So, while I wasn't planning on cleaning the floor before company came tonight, that is done! And some storage in my kitchen is in better shape, so that's a bonus! And I got to listen to the end of Pastor Chuck teaching, and a whole teaching by both Pastor Jon Coursen and Pastor Greg Laurie. What a treat to hear some of my favorite bible teachers while cleaning up a rather frustrating mess. I'm not upset about it at all now, I'm actually quite blessed that I let my sink run over. Thank you, Lord!

After all that, I sat down to feed baby boy and pulled up the Biblical Womanhood blog, and guess were she is in her Spring Cleaning for Normal People Series?! Cleaning the kitchen, cabinets and floors were on the list of things to accomplish this week. Well, check, check! ha ha.

In all this, I'm blessed. Even with unexpected cleanup the Lord has something special for me. Praise the Lord!

Pure

I heard this song last night. I've been listening to a lot of internet radio on itunes. There are some really good worship stations. I've loved hearing some new music, especially passionate worship like this!

Habla Espanol?

That "n" should really have a little squiggly over it. It's supposed to be an "en-yay" (you know, the Spanish "n" with a squiggly live above? ha ha. How would you spell that in English?) I thought I would find it at Alt + 164, but nothing happened there.

Anyway, today I was at the store. Theona and I ran into town to pick up just a couple things and have a little outing while the boys napped. She told me "just the girls" would go.

A common thing happened: A lady holding a box of frozen mashed potatoes walked up to me and gave a spiel in Spanish. (The mashed potatoes weren't the common thing, but the Spanish speaking was. People generally speak Spanish here first, or an equally confusing mix of Spanish and English) I missed the point of what she was trying to tell me as I grasped for some familiar vocabulary to emerge. I think I must have raised my eyebrows in that very uncertain way as I hesitantly offered, "no, thank you...?" She gave the spiel again in English offering the boxed mashed potatoes free with the purchase of a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. (This time I knew for sure I didn't want her deal.) I smiled and said softly, "No, thank you." and I was on my way.

I really need to work on not being so flabbergasted when spoken to in Spanish. I'm familiar enough with the language I should be able to follow a general conversation and give a simple Spanish response. (Like "No, gracias.")

It's definitely a new challenge living here and becoming familiar enough with a new language to use it in simple ways... I know the Lord can use it. It's probably very good for my kids, too. Hopefully they will become fluent in both languages (I better get serious about learning for myself, or they're gonna beat me to it!)

I'm Back...

I'm sure this has been the title of a post here before (I've been an inconsistent blogger), but please forgive me... I'm back from my blogity hiatus.

Sorry I was gone so long. I now have a one month old! It's amazing how much he has grown. He hit the 10 pound mark. (quite impressive, I think!) It's so good and exciting to see these little guys growing. Not just physically, but they are learning so much. And, about soooo many things! Theona is becoming quite a little artist, and Jecoa has (finally) started saying some new words. Oh, he also loves to sing and dance lately. I have to try and catch that on video! It's really incredible to me! Especially when I look at this tiny little guy and remember what a short time ago the other two were so little and sweet-smelling and such brand new wondrous things to me.