Maddie's creation

Madison is so proud of her little gingerbread house she made!

My boy is growing up!

I love this picture of Max. He is getting so big!

Maddie and Mommy

Hmmm...I wonder what we were looking at? I look delighted. Maddie looks uncertain or suspicious of something. I love this picture of us!

Reflection

It's been awhile...

Okay, so I've been quite the slacker lately when it comes to updating my blog. It's time for a face lift but Max will only be asleep for about 30 more minutes and I've had a full day at the zoo today with them and want to lay my weary head done for a few moments before he rises. Soooooo, the face lift will come soon. Just not tonight! Here's a few photos to melt your heart until then.

Associations....

Madison has become pretty good at associating people and things from the books she reads and shows she watches to things in real life. Here are a couple of examples:

From the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Madison is eating an apple and says "I'm like a little caterpillar eating an apple, mommy!"

From the book Snow White. She sees a lady on tv with light skin and black hair, wearing a pretty dress and says "She looks like Snow White, mommy."

From the movie Ice Age II (and this may be a stretch but creative nonetheless). After Madison finishes doing a fairly large #2, she turns around to look at it and says "It looks like a dinosaur!"

Gotta love 3 year olds!!!

Congratulations Chad and Jennifer Brocato!

I just took part in one of the most beautiful weddings I've been to....my sister Jeni and Chad's wedding! I had to share some photos on our blog. So here you go!

Amazing Max ~ ll months old

Time passes so quickly. Like when you have a baby and the next thing you know he's almost the Big One. Or like this morning...

When I placed him on the floor in the living room to play with some toys. I literally sprinted to go change clothes since I am running late to take Maddie to preschool. I come back out into the living room and as I scan the room for Max I notice the gate at the top of the stairs is moving. I'm thinking "No way did my baby just crawl up all those stairs all by himself!" I sprint up the stairs to find him playing contentedly with his toys, looking at me like "What's the big deal?" Crazy baby! He must have made a mad dash for those stairs the moment I turned to go into my room because it took me about 1 minute to get changed! I'm just relieved that he didn't decide to try to make the journey back downstairs by himself.

"Look mom! I'm a Beautiful Butterfly!"

Maddie discovered the bag I had laid out to take to the Green Baby Resale. This was her Halloween costume from when she was 1. Apparently she's not ready to part with it just yet! Isn't she cute?!

New Milestone by Max

Last week I entered Max's room to see him standing up in his crib. I wasn't shocked because I think Maddie did this around 9 months old also. One little problem though...he doesn't go to sleep as easily as he use to. Before all I had to do was lay him down with his paci and he'd be out for the night or for his nap. Now he immediately flips onto his tummy, pushes himself up to a sitting position then uses the rails to hoist himself to a standing position. I've even resorted to using the swing for his nap times just so he can get the rest he so desperately needs (and mama can too!)

Funny sayings by Madison

Outside in this horrible heat...

Madison says "Mom, can you turn the air on please?"

Me: Sorry honey, you'll have to ask God to do that for you.

Madison peering out the window very early in the morning...

Madison: "It's on Mommy! It's on"

Me: "What's on sweetie?"

Madison: "The light outside!"

Madison sees me reading my book so she gets my Bible and starts flipping through it and saying with each turned page...

"Jesus can do anything! Clap your hands! (clap, clap)

Madison really wants to ride the BIG roller coasters at Fiesta Texas...

Madison: "Mommy I want to ride the big roller coaster."

Me: "When you get bigger you can"

Madison puts her hands high in the air and says "Mommy, I'm getting bigger and bigger! I'm 3 years old!"...side note: she actually turns 3 on Sunday but she's been telling everyone she is 3 for the past month or 2 because she is really looking forward to her "BIG birthday party with her BIG balloons and BIG cake"

Me: "Yes, you are sweetie but I mean when you get bigger like mommy"

A few days later I overhear her talking to my mom

Madison: "When I'm big like my mommy I get to ride the BIG roller coaster"

I'm going to be a flower girl in Aunt Jeni's wedding :)

Madison is so excited about being a flower girl in Aunt Jeni's wedding. She talks about it frequently. We went to try on her dress and she couldn't help but twirl around and smile at herself in the mirrors.

Max ~ 9 months old!

Check out Max's new carseat!

The Joy of Sweet Peas

After 2 months of trying to get Max to eat baby food he finally ate a full serving of sweet peas! Ok, so maybe half a serving since he is obviously wearing the other half!

My little Indian girl

She's now exploring with different colors! And it's not just her face...it's her belly button, the bottom of her feet, her hands, nails, etc... Did I mention that these were her dry erase markers? So all I have to do is run a wipey across her face and it comes off or take her outside and hose her off! I sure hope she doesn't find our Sharpies...yikes!

The Eggs are Here!

Maddie and I are just outright giddy about our little birdie eggs laid right outside our front door! Here is a picture of them! Woohooo, can't wait for them to hatch. Hopefully I can capture them in the process. How cool would that be???!

Nesting

The other day my mom and I heard the sweet chirping of a bird very close by. I was afraid one had gotten into our home and was stuck somewhere inside. Victor discovered that a momma bird had actually made a nest in my flower plant on the porch just outside our front door! I've been waiting in anticipation for the eggs to be laid. I am so excited that a little birdy would chose my flowers as a home for her little baby birdies and Maddie is filled with excitement too!

Madison and Markers

The Day Between the Two

Today is the day before Easter...the day my sister went away. It's a day filled with somewhat of a numbness and a sadness. I remember getting the news. We had been at an Easter egg hunt out at the Mendez Farm, same as this year. We were completely exhausted so we came home to nap. Not too long into our nap my phone vibrated. I decided to get to it later. Then Victor's phone vibrated, then mine again. I decided I should check my phone. I listened to a message from my mom who was crying but I couldn't understand what she was saying. I knew something bad had happened. I also got a missed call from my dad. I called him to see what was going on. He told me the news that my sweet sister had taken her life.........I screamed, waking my daughter from her nap. I was in shock. I was numb. I couldn't believe what I just heard. It was a surreal day.

I'm not sure why I went but I'm glad I made the decision to go to our church's Easter service that evening. Let me tell you why. We got there late so we were seated in the overflow room. It was more private and dark since we were watching the message and music on a screen. It was okay to cry. Sometime during the service a young lady started to sing. I distinctly remember her voice sounding so sweet...like an angel's. Then I heard God speak to my heart. It wasn't out loud but it just as well could have been. The message from Him was clear and just what I needed to hear...Mary is singing this before Me this very moment. The lyrics say "You make all things, all things new.." Towards the end of the song it says "I know the view is brighter here where I can see" YES! Mary CAN finally see. She was in so much pain for the previous 2 years and she could never see what her friends, family and most importantly what God saw in her. Her beauty, her worth. No one on this earth was like Mary. She was magnetic, energetic, strikingly beautiful, and was your biggest fan if you had the pleasure of knowing her. I know she is WHOLE and HEALED and more ALIVE than she has ever been right now. Oh, how I wish she could have found that healing here where I can hug and kiss her. Where we could have raised our children together. This had been my most earnest prayer the 2 years leading up to this dreadful day. I don't have all the answers but I know my God to be GOOD and FAITHFUL and TRUE to his promises. I rest in that.

The day after Good Friday. The day before Easter. The day between the two. A sad day for the disciples many years ago too. They had just lost their closest friend, teacher, brother. An emptiness, a numbness, deep sorrow and grief...I'm familiar with those feelings. But a JOY deep inside starts to well up in me because I am certain of what I do not see. HE is no longer in the grave. JESUS IS ALIVE! He has conquered the grave. Death has no grip on Him. And this is the HOPE for all those that believe. Though Mary had her tribulations and struggles I truly believe that she knew and believed God and is now free from all that caused her great pain. One day I will see her again. No more sorrow, no more tears, no more!

Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice on my behalf and on the behalf of the whole world. You are the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You took our place.

But the story didn't end on Friday. Sunday came with a bang. You conquered death once and for all by raising to life. I know you are alive. I feel your life within me. All my hope is in You. Thank you Jesus. Thank you.

"Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?...

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Cor. 15:55,56

6 Months old...

...And Madison hasn't asked me to return him to the hospital yet! I guess that's a good sign that Maddie is adjusting well to the new baby in the house. Other than being ultra clingy to me for the first few months and wanting her diaper changed after seeing me change Max's diaper, I haven't noticed much jealousy since Max has arrived. She's actually very sweet with him and likes to sing him "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She even lets me know when Max needs his "beer" (her way of pronouncing bear).