My four little blessings

My heart is so full when I look at these four blessings.  I am truly blessed!

Happy 10th Birthday, Hudson!

Hudson - our precious 10 year old!

Opening his cards from his grandparents

I just love that smile!

He asked for No-Bakes for his birthday dessert!  Does it get any easier than that?!

"Take a bite of the "cake" "

Hudson turned 10 the last day of November and we just celebrated as a family this past weekend!  Hudson is a joy!  We are so privileged to have such a sweet boy for our firstborn.  We pray that he will love the Lord all of His days and that he will continue to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in his life as he is now.  We love you, Hudson!  Happy 10th Birthday!

A Day at the Park

Happy Birthday, Chaz!

Happy Birthday, Chaz!  Thank you for being a wonderful husband and father!  I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be your wife - it is a joy and privilege.  Have a wonderful birthday! 

Quality Time

We all have 24 hours in every single day

TWENTY FOUR

If we choose to sleep for eight hours each night to get the necessary sleep for our bodies to function properly, it leaves us with

24-9 = 15

FIFTEEN HOURS 

to accomplish all the other given things that must be accomplished within our days.

I can  not be sure of what YOU must do doing your days, but if you are anything like me, the list is quite long and sometimes daunting.  Besides spending time in prayer and the Word, there is 

exercising to be done

mouths to feed

meals to make

chores to accomplish

Bible studies to prepare and teach

Lessons for Kid's classes to prepare

visitation

contacts to make

etc

etc

etc

the list could continue and it sure does not take long to watch the other 15 hours pass by so quickly and rapidly that I can look back at the day and think, "Oh I should have done this or that."

One thing that I must put into my day is QUALITY TIME with those in my family.  This would include my wonderful husband, Chaz and my four children, Hudson, Davis, Caedmon and Gabiella.

What exactly is QUALITY TIME?  We have all heard the phase used before but what exactly does it mean?

Well, according to good old Answers.com the definition is.....

"Time during which one focuses on or dedicates oneself to a person or activity: "When you decide to turn on the TV, you decide ... not to spend quality time with your family" (Steve Tschirhart)."

I must make a concerted effort to spend this time with each one of those in my family, dedicating myself to just that ONE individual, making them feel loved and appreciated.  To some, it will mean the world.  To others, maybe it won't mean quite as much, but it sure can't hurt.  

The time spent with our loved ones should be valued!

Just the other day this boy

asked if he could help me in the kitchen.  To be honest with you, my first thought was "I could get this all done SO much faster without his help."  But with a big smile on my face I said, "Sure, Davis, come on in."  

And boy, am I glad I did.  
You want to know what?  

It was precious.

It was fun.

It was delightful.

I learned more about my son that day.

We laughed together.

Talked together.

Spent QUALITY TIME together.

And I am different because of it and I pray he is too.

As he left that kitchen that afternoon, as he rushed out.  He stopped on his heels, turned around, looked at me with those precious blue eyes and said my favorite three or four words.

"I LOVE YOU, MOM!"

Aww, my heart melted.  

I love that kid.  

And so a few day's later when Gabriella asked the same.

What did I do?

You got that right.

And I need to make this a regular part of my days.....time is fleeting....I only have these people for a while!

So, are you spending QUALITY time with those you love, or are they getting the leftovers?

I am linked up at here

and here

Multitudes on Monday's - My Madrina

 So much to be thankful for every day of the week and I appreciate

where the challenge lies for "multitudes on Monday's."  My list continues, but this week instead of placing my list on this page, I am thanking God for my children and the precious gift they are to me.  I enjoy being a mother, I enjoy spending time with my children, and I enjoy watching my children become involved in their community here in Ecuador.  It is a thrill as a mother to see your children being a light for God around them and I pray that my saved children will be testimonies and live lives for the Lord. 

Gabriella had the opportunity to be the "madrina" for the Liga de Loja soccer team that her brothers play on.  Their coach asked her several weeks before the event and she was really looking forward to the day that she could dress up like a princess and lead the team on the day of the inauguration.  Caedmon was asked to escort her, which was really special, and they both did a fantastic job.  As is the custom here, judges select one of the madrinas to be the winner, and Gabriella was selected!  She received flowers, a sash naming her as the "Nina de Deportes de 2011" and she also found her way in to the newspaper.  One paper had an article covering the event and the other newspaper even included her picture.  It was a special day!  Now, we are looking forward to the start of the tournament so we can watch our boys in action on their respective teams.  Vamos Liga!  Let's Go Liga!

Gabriella before the big event!

Caedmon and Gabriella prepared for the big day!

My four precious gifts from the Lord...

The big day...

Gabriella waiting with the other madrinas

Gabriella after being selected and awarded

The teams...

Blessed beyond measure....

I have so much to be thankful for.  I am really trying to focus on the beauty around me every day and the little gifts that are given by the hand of God.  He is always at work around me, but sometimes in the hecticness of life it is very easy to lose sight of all the many little things that He does or gives to us so that we might glorify Him and give Him praise.  I am trying to teach my children to give thanks....for God has truly given us so much more than we deserve. I want my children to see the little things around them as being gifts from an extremely gracious God.  

So the list continues....

61.  listening to the rain outside the window

62.  the smell after it rains

63.  time spent with my parents

64.  food to eat when we are hungry

65.  clean water

66.  healthy kids...who like to be together : )

67.  good health

68.  a husband who loves God and desires to serve Him

69. an exciting ministry

70.  a forgiving and patient God

God is ever good to us!  He is so worthy of our praise.  I am so thankful I can even go into His presence and recognize it is only because of Jesus Christ.  

Two very special ladies!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

God has blessed me in so many ways in my life and one of those in by allowing me the privilege to have a godly, loving, serving and amazing mother.  From as early as I can remember, my mom showered me with her love and taught me the importance of loving God and desiring to serve Him.  She was an example to me in so many ways and I am forever thankful to have her in my life.  She is not only my mother but she is also a best friend.  

I love you, Mom!  Thank you for being you, a wonderful friend and example, and for always loving me.

God also blessed me with a godly and accepting mother-in-law.  I am so thankful for the mother of my husband and her example to me as well.  She raised an incredible man, who I am blessed to spend my life with, and I am so thankful for all that she did to help form him into the godly and wonderful man that he is today.  She has accepted me as part of the family and loves me as well.   

Thank you for your example and love. I love you!

I picked these pictures of my mom and mother-in-law because I thought it was pretty neat how they were both serving and doing the exact same thing!   

Meal Planning . . . A Daunting Task?

So many memories have already been made around this table!

Being a busy homeschooling, mother of four, does not allow me a whole lot of time to put together a scrumptious meal for the 6 hungry mouths that are here every day, and yet I cherish so much family meal time TOGETHER! There is so much that takes place during that time when we sit around the table as a family and simply talk and laugh. It has truly become one of my favorite times of the day! All six of us in one place enjoying each others company. That being said, I find joy as well in being able to cook various meals to nourish those hungry bellies. A typical question you would here around our home on any given day is "What is for lunch today, Mommy?" We have our family meal time over lunch, which is culturally the "large" meal of the day here in Ecuador. This question comes with much anticipation as the kids await 'THE answer'. Sometimes, they leave ecstatic hearing that it is their favorite meal, or they may run on over to a sibling saying, "Guess what's for lunch? ---- Davis, it's meatloaf!" They say this knowing right good and well meatloaf is not his favorite! Then they all start laughing!

Coming up with what to cook each day used to be a daunting task. I don't mind it so much any more and that is because I have found a way to be more organized about what I am going to be making. There used to be days I would wake up and think, "Oh, what should I make for lunch?" Those days are gone! Now I wake up KNOWING what is on the menu and that is because I have started making a monthly menu calendar. I print off a free monthly calendar www.printablecalendars.ca each month and fill it in! This helps me space out the various meals, be prepared a head of time, and be certain that I have the ingredients I need on hand before making them.

If you ever feel that dread as you try to figure out what to make, I would suggest you try taking up a monthly calendar plan. See if it works for you! Or, if you have another way that helps you be organized when it comes to meal planning, post a comment and lets get some ideas rolling! Happy Cooking!

Then the task lies in trying to fill out a whole month of meal ideas . . . but that can be fun!