A humbling task...

Teaching simple but very profound Truths to little hearts who are watching, learning, growing....It's a privilege, it is a huge responsibility....to be entrusted with little souls....little ones who have questions and seek answers....children who need a godly example....that alone makes this mom cringe when she realizes how weak she is, what a sinner she is....four children watching, following....taking note of her every action....trying to make sense out of little disappointments and frustrations that come in to their life, but that are not little to them....what a large and humbling task....one that can not be done efficiently in this moms own strength...can only be done with the strength of the Lord...seeking His face....asking for wisdom, daily, moment-by-moment....trusting...praying...crying out to Him....silently pleading for His grace, His help.....realizing that these children need to see Jesus in me....

My little 'shepherd' boy!

Caedmon was to dress as a little shepherd boy for the Christmas program at his school.  Then the group of classmates sang a Christmas song together.  Here he is in the typical shepherd uniform that can be rented for the day here in Loja!  Isn't he so cute?!

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 good little mommy?

My sweet daughter loves to have an opportunity to hold a baby!  It is a highlight for her, maybe because she never had a younger brother or sister, I don't know, but regardless, she loves any chance she can get!  She looks like she just might make a very good mommy someday!

Dia de Independencia de Loja

Tomorrow is Independence Day for Loja.  As a result, the school where Gabriella attends had a special morning performance and it was great!  It just thrills my soul to see my kids involved...it was a fun morning!

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! 

Camara in the hands of a child

Gabriella was allowed to take some shots the other day with the camara.  

Here are some ....

I think I should let her take pictures more often!

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

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!   

Motherhood should come with. . .

Five Minute Fridays

Where we throw caution (editing, revising, and worrying) to the winds and just write. Without wondering if it’s just right or not.
For five minutes flat. The rules are easy.

1. Write your heart out for five minutes and show us what you’ve got.
2. Tell your readers you’re linking up here and invite them to play along.
3. And most importantly, go visit, read, and encourage the fellow five-minuter who linked up right before you.

Easy peasy.



Today's Five Minute Friday is ........

 MOTHERHOOD SHOULD COME WITH . . . . 

...a pause button.  There are so many moments in time when I just think to myself, "wow, I sure wish I could pause this moment, freeze it, and live in this moment forever."  

...a box of tissues . . . because there are those times when I cry over my children as I pray to the Father for each and every one of them.  I recognize that each child God has given me is a precious gift given for just a short time - they are really HIS, and He holds them in His hand and I pray that my children will love Him and serve Him all the days of their lives.  So a box of tissues comes in handy.

...a warning about how fast time flies.  As I watch my children grow I am just amazed and overwhelmed with how quickly the time flies by.  I can still remember almost like it was yesterday the first day I became a MOTHER . . . what a day that was!  And now my first born is almost 9 1/2 years old.  

Times up! 

Thankful to be the MOTHER to these four!

Wordless Wednesday

  Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts here.

A Dog can be a Little Girl's Best Friend!

I am not a photographer but I do enjoy taking pictures. I simply capture pictures of my family most so that I have visible memories, but also as a means for grandparents to keep up with the changes going on in the lives of their grandchildren here in Ecuador! Not only am I not a photographer, but my camera is not top notch either. I am not complaining, it suits my purposes just fine, but the pictures don't always have the best clarity. This is not an explanation for why I am not a good photographer though!

That being said, I have some friends who are fantastic photographers. You can see some of Becky's photography and that of others at http://kaishon.blogspot.com/. I have another friend, Ashley, who is just starting out in photography. You can check some of her work out at http://the-coupe-ecuador.blogspot.com/ . I still am participating in Sweet Shot Tuesday and encourage any other blogger out there to dive on in!