Poop and Weeds Wednesday

Well, I was going to re-name this Weedy Wednesday, because the word Poop has occurred in this blog far too many times... and I'm sure that's unlikely to stop anytime soon. But then the "weedy" part of Weedy Wednesday sounded a bit too much like something to avoid at a college frat party, so back to Poop and Weeds Wednesday it is!

Anyway, to the point.

In case you're catching up, this is a weekly devotional post that will last through the next several months. About a year ago, I was randomly inspired to go clean up my back yard. At the time, it was filled with weeds and our dog's poop. Somewhere in between pulling weeds and carrying the loads to the trash can, I felt God whispering to me to write a devotional. So I put down my gardening tools, took off my gloves, and headed up to the computer. And now I'm sharing it with you.

I pray God speaks to you through these weeds words.

______________________________________________

Thank You God for Poop and Weeds

Mark 4:3-20

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed... Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?
‘…Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,

Whose ears are open but don't understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.’”

"He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. The farmer plants the Word… The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it,
…and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

The Message Bible
Some verses omitted

Part II: Root it Out

I think it was my Mom who taught me the somewhat sick and twisted masochistic love of pulling weeds. She always loved to garden. When I was a kid, she used to spend hours in the backyard, painstakingly pulling out any plants that were out of place so that the one she wanted to could grow. …Actually, I think she just welcomed the opportunity to be in the sun and away from the phone and never-ending bickering between my sister and I. But that's besides the point.

My Dad loved to weed too, only his target was the grass, not the garden. There were several times that I went outside to join one or both of them, and asked if I could “help.” “Sure!” they would respond enthusiastically. And they would toss me a tool to use. My first instinct was to pull the weed as hard as I could and whatever ended up in my hand would be tossed into the garbage bag and the job was done—so I thought. My work would look something like this picture.

Sure, the weeds were shorter… but they were still just as present as before. Maybe just not as noticeable. That actually made them worse! They could spread more easily and grow a stronger root. It also made them harder to pull out. Have you ever tried to pull out a weed like that with nothing to hold onto except a nub at the top? My parents explained that the weeds don’t go away until you pull them out, root and all.

Unforgiven or unresolved issues in our lives have exactly the same effect in our lives. Have you ever had an argument with a family member over something petty? You start by arguing over what color to paint the bedroom, and pretty soon you can’t even remember what you’re fighting about! Usually, somewhere in between “How about blue?” and “YOU NEVER LISTEN TO A WORD I SAY!” and the door-slam, you’ve touched on something much deeper. It’s easy, in those situations, to smooth over an issue, and call it resolved. But shoving it under the rug, usually means it will rear its ugly head again in the future, and you will find yourself back in the same argument.

Take it one step further. Have you ever been mad at God over something? Maybe you’re mad at Him because you are in a tight spot financially. Then an extra $200 lands on your doorstep and the problem is resolved… this time. But the root of the problem was mistrust in His provision. That part of it was never fixed. God will bring issues like that back in front of you time and time again, until you learn the lesson once and for all. Though the particular issue worked itself out and God proved Himself faithful, you must reconcile the root of the issue. As long as you “avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven,” the weed will never go away.

There have been many many times in my life that I find myself in the “same ol’ place” frustrated over the same issue as before. I’ve cried to God,”WHY?!? How many times will I circle this mountain?” His answer to me, as it was to the Israelites (for 40 years in the desert) was, “Until you learn what I am trying to teach you.” Open your heart to Him. What is it that He’s trying to show you about His love through the situation you are in? What is the root issue of the problem you are facing?

Once I learned that God teaches us through these situations, only then I was able to understand how David could dance while he was mourning, and how Paul could give thanks for each trial he encountered.

Better than a Novel

I should be sleeping right now... since it's 12 a.m. And tomorrow is my third day in a row of working two jobs and being a mom to a two-and-a-half month old. I'm exhausted. But I've been catching up on my favorite blogs.

Did you know that reading my favorite blogs is better than a good novel? Know why? Because they totally inspire me because they're real people loving God and their kids and their friends in real life and real time with real lack of patience. Know why else? Because I can only read one day at a time. Unlike a really good novel, which I get addicted to and have to finish the whole book in one night. Which leaves me sleep-deprived and red-eyed, and which then leaves me with no good books to read the following night. That's why I think blogs are better than a good novel.

A little update on life around here:

After only two days of this triple-duty, I am thoroughly convinced that it was the right decision to quit my "real job" (ie: non-marykay job... we call MK a non real job, because it's way too much fun and way too convenient to be a real job... plus it pays too well for the time put in to be a real job... back to the subject).

And that's the reason I've been a little M.I.A. around here lately. Although I do think of you all often and wish I could write. Because I really do love it!

So soon, you can look forward to Weedy Wednesday. (Yes, I've decided to call it Weedy Wednesday because, well, I think if the word poop showed up one more time in this blog, it would be the most commonly occuring word in this blog and well, that's kind of embarrassing. Plus, I'm seriously worrying that it might cause this blog to be sensored. Ok, not seriously. But still... poop happens way too much around here.) Anyway, Weedy Wednesday is coming.

And you can also look forward to the best pictures of an even better camping trip that we took this past weekend with some friends. ...they're the best pictures, because I did not take them.

This, as soon as I can spend a little face to face time with my little one tomorrow afternoon. And take a nap. A long one.

In the mean time, check out these two fun videos that Danny's most fabulous Aunt Melissa took of him while she babysat him yesterday! Click here to see the videos. (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed the video this time.)

Talk Write to you all tomorrow!

Love,
Renee

You know you've joined the Mommy club when...

...in the shower you mentally survey yourself from head to foot just to make sure you’ve washed and shampooed everything that should be washed. And then you get out of the shower and realize you’ve forgotten your feet!

...you look at the spot of spit-up pee on your shirt and think, “That one’s not that big. I can still keep wearing this shirt.” Gross!

...you're so excited about seven straight hours of sleep, you post it on the internet. :)

...in contemplating the next car you want to buy - you know, some day when I actually have the money to do that, in like 10 bazillion years - you think, "A minivan would be nice." I know. Scary! - But actually, we used to have one that was 14 million years old and we loved it! We drove that thing all over creation!

...you wake up at 7 a.m. and think, "Nice! I got to sleep in!"

Weeds and Poop Wednesday

Grrr!! I can't believe I forgot to post the second part of this little devotional affectionally titled..

Thank You God for Poop and Weeds

In case you missed it last week, you can go back and read here. About a year or two ago, I was randomly inspired to go clean up my back yard. At the time, it was filled with weeds and our dog's poop. Cleaning it up was quite a chore. But somewhere in between pulling weeds and carrying the loads to the trash can, I felt God whispering to me to write a devotional. So I put down my gardening tools, took off my gloves, and headed up to the computer. I wrote a short devotional, which I then saved and shoved in a drawer. It stayed there... until now.

And so started... Weeds and Poop Wednesday! Except that this Wednesday, I FORGOT! Well, posting something on the wrong day has never stopped me before... So here you go. It's a little late, but here's Part 1. And this week, I promise to post Part 2 on time. ;)

______________________________________________

Mark 4:3-20

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed... Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?
‘…Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.’”
"He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. The farmer plants the Word… The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, …and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

The Message Bible

Some verses omitted

Part 1
Weeds Choke out Life

Once I found the corner of my yard that I wanted to start working - one that’s shaded and green, and where moisture isn’t immediately obliterated by the dry heat and sun, I discovered something rather discouraging. The grass grows here quite well, but so do the weeds! It was the area of the yard where the grass was actually still alive, however weeds enjoyed that same setting. As I studied the corner I was about to work on, I thought, “I bet the grass here would grow much better if the weeds weren’t choking it out. It would get more of the earth’s moisture too, if the weeds weren’t sucking it dry.” In Mark, Chapter 4, Jesus talked about seed that was strangled by weeds and so nothing came of it. The weeds took up all the space, water and soil’s nutrients, so that the seed had no chance.

God’s truth is the same way. Sometimes we hear His truth and it goes in one ear and out the other, because what’s really occupying the space between our ears is worry. Worry about life. Worry about spouses, finances, children, jobs, friends, age, wrinkles, weight, to-do lists, dirty laundry… The list goes on and on. God’s Word to us says:

The farmer plants the Word…

"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. (Mark 4:17-19 The Message)

Worry, fear, doubt, hurt, sin, and broken relationships can cause us to lose the richness of God’s desire for us. That is why setting down and doing the hard work of fleshing out day-to-day life according to God’s will is so important. Because until we’re willing to face the nitty-gritty situations and apply God’s word to them, and be willing to change for Him, we will always be choked by the weeds. We refuse God’s sovereignty in our lives unless we take it to the next step and pursue maturity in understanding His ways for our lives. But once we do set ourselves to this task… oh! What wonderful things can come! The Message Bible puts it this way:

"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." (Mark 4:20)

…Let me say it again for you: A harvest beyond your wildest dreams! Are you living a life in Christ that surpasses your greatest expectations? When I first gave my life to the Lord, I had NO CLUE of the wonders He would do in my life. I gave my life to the Lord in third grade, but I was 20 before I really started to pursue what it meant to LIVE for Christ. I’m 30 now, and I look back at the last decade and marvel at how far God has brought me. I can truly say that I live a life now, that is beyond my wildest dreams, and that is only true because of God’s incredible grace and the work of His Spirit in my life!

Are there things in your life that overwhelm you? Do you want to live with joy and excitement? Do you want to live bigger and better, at peace and in intimate relationship with Him? Read the rest of Mark, Chapter 4 here. And come back on Wednesday and hear more!

Something to look forward to...

Ok, I am totally ripping this one off, but it was too funny not to share! My stomach hurt from laughing so hard after reading a conversation thread among months. It's all the funny things moms say to their kids... particularly their boys. Here are my favorites:

DO NOT GET POOP ON YOUR BATMAN CAPE!!!

...do NOT punch your brother...we don't drink milk if its solid...Make sure you wash your privates...do NOT hit your sister...how did this shoe end up in the garbage...do NOT hit the baby...how did my camera end up in the garbage...no I am not pooping blood, I just had a baby thats what happens...stop hitting each other...no you cannot eat that shoe...what is that on the bottom of that shoe...thats part of a tampon, no that is not a straw to drink with...no the baby CANNOT ride the 4 wheeler with you...this time lets try to pee IN the potty...you have to aim...no I do not have a pip(aka penis) and no it did not fall off I just wasn't born with one...no you will never have big boobies...yes sissy will...no you may not hit them like punching bags while I try to shave my legs in the shower...every one get OFF the counter...yes I am pooping no you CANNOT watch...

The next person to pee on the curtains is going to get a spanking!

He let you stab him, now let him stab you!

Why did you suck on your arms until you got a hickey? Do NOT suck on your arms!

No I am not going to pull your finger....followed by... alright but don't ask me again...followed by....good one honey, maybe you should check your pants.

Stop grabbing the doggys peepee. He doesnt like that! He will bite you! No! Don't rip your diaper off and then pee on the kitchen floor. Oh and now youre fingerpainting with it. Yay!

Sweetheart, we don't put our fingers in our butt - that's bad manners.

No darling, my peepee is not squished, I wasn't born with one like yours. Girls have different ways they go to the bathroom.

To 5 year old: "Who peed in this cup and put it in the freezer??" (Imagine this said in a hysterical voice as I spilled pee on myself and my kitchen floor)

"No, that is not a kazoo." (Rushing to bathroom to empty garbage of used
tampons)

If you don't stop pestering your brother, I am going to give him permission to beat you silly.

How many times do I have to tell you to NOT drink from the toilet - that's disgusting!

How long ago did you catch the worms I just found in your pocket?

Please don't put your hand down Mommy's shirt.

No, I am sorry. You can't go back into Mommy's tummy and see where you came from.

Nutty, put your sister down. No don't DROP her! Put her down NICELY!

Please don't drink the bath water.

What do you mean you're not wearing panties?

"It's not nice to pick your nose and eat it." "Why?""Because God created boogers so bad things couldn't get in your body through your nose."(He eats a booger)"It's going right here" (points to his foot and then picks up a carton of tomatoes) "Christian, you just touched my tomatoes with your germs." "It's okay. They were in their cage."

No, I don't want you to get into my shirt with me.

PLEASE, do not eat anymore crayons!

While attempting to nurse in a fancy restaurant: "Will you just go ahead and put it in your mouth?"

To my 4 year old, "No honey, it's not proper to play with our girlie parts and make them talk like a vantriloquist."

"No, you cannot wear your sissy's Cinderella panties. Because you are a boy. Because I said so. OK, fine, just for a few minutes and then stop asking." (doorbell rings) "Great, the Arrowhead delivery man is here. Please stay inside. I said stay INSIDE! Can you stop running circles around the Arrowhead truck in your Princess panties for everyone to see? No sir, he doesn't normally wear Disney panties..." sigh

Honey, it's not nice to tell grandma that she's getting old and is going to die one day.

It's called a penis. Followed by shouting around the house "penis! penis! penis!"

Oh, I just can't wait.

To read the rest of this thread, click here. To read what comes out of MckMama's mouth, click here.

A little of this and a little of that... and some big news

It's official. My kid is THE CUTEST. I don't care what all you other moms say.
But does anyone have any ideas for how to cure a baby's hiccups? Because this kiddo has had hiccups All. Day. Long. The poor guy! Every time I think he's finally rid himself of them, they come back.

It's so sad. So very very sad.

Maybe my anxiety over the last several days is somehow transferring from me to him and coming out in the form of hiccups.

Why was I anxious, you ask? Well, after lots of thought and prayer, we decided I'm going to quit my job. The decision to stay home with Danny was a no-brainer. Like, who wouldn't want to do more of this all day long?

Especially when you get this response...

(Ignore the house-hold-hair-do, please.)

The difficult part was in deciding to leave my job. Because I really enjoy it. And I am kinda' good at it. (If I do say so myself.)

But the really difficult part was in telling my co-workers that I'd be leaving. Particularly my co-workers in Ecuador. By the way, for those of you who don't know what I do, I actually have two jobs - ok, well, now I have one. But before I turned in my resignation letter yesterday, I had two jobs. One is as a Mary Kay consultant. That's the job I'm keeping. That job is part of what is enabling me to quit the other one. The other is as the manager of the International Media Services department at HCJB Global.

The huh?

The... Well... What I do is establish and manage contracts between HCJB Global and other Christian ministries. We produce, distribute and broadcast Christian radio programs in other languages. Mainly Spanish - hence the team of co-workers in Ecuador. It's really cool! And I work with some really really cool people!

So, I'm going to miss them. A lot.

But I am So Very Glad that I have the opportunity to stay home with Danny. And really, there is nothing better I could give him than his Mommy with him all day.

Anyhooo... the anxiety came from having to write the resignation letter. But everyone has been extremely supportive. Sad to lose me, but happy for my decision. Exactly the kind of decision you want when you leave any position.

By the way, I am SO sorry if any of my co-workers are finding this out through this blog! I hope that's not happening!!

Also by the way, I am thoroughly enjoying beginning all my sentences with conjunctions. This lady inspired me to do so. Check her out. She's hilarious!

So, this evening I'm sitting here on my night off, sipping the remains of my flat root beer float from our trip to A&W last night healthy glass of ice water, I'm just struck with the fact that I am really thankful. Thankful for so many blessings in my life. This morning I woke up in a particularly good mood because Danilo slept all the way until 7 a.m. and when I went in to get him, he was happily cooing and laughing and playing in his crib. (One of these days I'll have the presence of mind to take a video camera in with me. It'll put anybody in a good mood.) I felt so joyful and thankful.

But I wish I felt joyful and thankful ALL the time. Even when I'm in a crummy mood. (I know, don't we all?) And I wish I could figure out how to make my voice sound sweet and patient on the phone to my husband. For some reason, it is permanently in the impatient and rude setting. I'm working on that. Please pray for me. Seriously.

And now that I've wandered around to six different subjects in one post, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this. (Actually, I'm wondering that too.)

I guess the over-riding thought tonight is that I am blessed and content. And if my life ended tomorrow, I'd be really glad to have had a cute kiddo and hiccups and two jobs that I love and the Lord's provision to stay home and cool co-workers and conjunctions and cute men in my life and flat root beer floats cool glasses of water - among other things. I hope your day is filled with thankfulness too.

What are you thankful for?

Foody Friday

Ok, so it's really not Friday. But I'm hurtin' for somethin' to write tonight, and I've been wanting to put this up for a while, just because my charming husband was so proud of them that he took a picture... He actually said, "Here! Take a picture so you can blog about it!"

Does he know me or what?

Anyway, I did think about blogging this on Friday. So, it's ok to post this now, right? I don't have to wait all the way till next weekend, right??

Ok, to the point...

We enjoyed the MOST amazing shishkabobs on Friday. They are really Alejandro's creation. I can take no credit for this. But you've gotta' try them, because they were delicious!

Here's how to make them:

Cut chicken, onion, mango, pineapple, and red pepper into bite-size pieces. Stab them with the shishkabob stick and slide 'em down in the most colorful of patterns... Then fire up the grill.
In the mean time, put the following spices into 1/4 cup of oil (olive oil sounds good, but the truth is, we're cheap when it comes to groceries, so we used vegetable oil).

oregano - 2 pinches
cumin - 2 pinches
garlic - 2 pinches
salt - 1 pinch
pepper - 1 pinch

(Actually, he doesn't measure... he had to wrack his brain when I asked him how much of each spice, so feel free to be creative.)

Then slap 'em on the grill and while they cook, brush on the oil and spices mix. When they look like this...

...eat 'em! Oh, yummm!!!

Make sure to check out Kingdom Mama's Foody Friday creations too!!

Romance Her

Last night I was having one of those nights when sleep eludes me and I forget that worrying gets me NO WHERE.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27

I was laying there, playing out a number of scenarios in my head... mulling over everything important and unimportant:

Who will watch Danilo when I go back to work? - in a week!
What time do I need to get up in order to make it to work by 8 a.m.?
What is the housing market going to do in three years?
I should be sleeping right now. What am I going to do when I'm so tired tomorrow?
Did the dishes get put away? Is dinner still out on the table going bad?
Do I need to wash diapers tomorrow?

Mostly I was worrying about the future.

Someone once said that when we fret over the future, we are always picturing a scenario where we have to figure everything out without God. Have you ever found yourself worrying about a future scenario with God in the picture? I haven't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be worrying.

So that's what I was doing. Worrying. And finally - after about two hours of laying there - I prayed with desperation, for God's help.

His response was to romance me.

Has God ever romanced you? If not, ask Him to sometime. (Or ask Him to point out to you a time when He has and you haven't noticed.) You'll be amazed.

Immediately, He whispered, "I know my plans for you, Renee." (Jeremiah 29:11 - my favorite verse of all time.) "I know what I'm doing. And although it seems chaos is ahead, my plans for you hold a hope and a future. One that's better than you can imagine."

The hug seemed somewhat tangible.

Then I rolled over and woke up my husband. "I can't sleep. I'm so worried." And I started to cry softly into his shoulder.

God wasn't done romancing me. He continued through the words of my husband - that is after the poor guy pulled himself out of sleepy delirium.

Alejandro listened and held me. He was quiet and I thought maybe he didn't know what to say. Then suddenly, "Lord, please wrap your arms around Renee right now. Hold her and comfort her. I pray for your incredible peace, and that she could just set her mind at ease. Remind her that you know the plan you have for us, and that we don't have to worry, because you are in control and you are taking care of us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

You know how you know God is speaking to you when you hear something twice?
I. LOVE. THAT.

After that we cuddled some more, and then, um... I got romanced some more.
(Hey, I'm married, people! Sorry, T.M.I.)
(Did I really just write that on the internet?)

And after that, I drifted off into peaceful sleep.

Well, then God romanced me (through my husband) even more!

Because, check THIS out. He ever-so-sweetly woke me up and plopped breakfast-in-bed on my lap! Yummm.... crepes!
And coffee! (I can't believe I'm posting this picture on the internet.)
This part is the very best.
I almost cried.

What an incredible thing to be loved so deeply and appreciated so much by my Lord and my husband. I may be a little sleepy today. But I feel like a million bucks.

So, to all the gentlemen out there who have a wife who has a young baby and is worried... Or all of you who just have a wife... I just have one thing to say:

Romance her.

When Grammy Comes to Town

When Grammy comes to town...
...it's better than Christmas! ...not that I know what Christmas is like - yet. But I'm sure this is better.

Because she and I hang out. And cuddle.

We talk. About deep stuff.

She reads. She's practicing for me. For when we can read together.

She shows me cool new toys and games.

She and Mommy take me on walks and they exercise. I sleep when they walk.

I like making faces and Grammy likes looking at all my faces.

Bein' with her is the best! I just really love her. And she really loves me.
Plus she lets my parents go out on a date, and that makes them really happy. Then they're better parents for me.

Thanks Grammy for coming to visit me! Thanks for hanging out and cuddling me and talking and reading and showing me new games. Thanks for walking with me and Mom, and for letting my parents go on a date. Thanks for loving me!

Come back soon. Really soon! ...Um, what are you doing tomorrow?

______________________Español______________________

Cuando mi abuela viene a visitarme...

...es mejor que la Navidad! ...aunque yo no sé cómo es la Navidad... todavía. Pero estoy seguro que esto es mejor.

Porque ella y yo pasamos tiempo juntos. Y ella me abraza.

Hablamos juntos sobre todos los problemas del mundo. Los resolvemos.

Ella lee. Está practicando para cuando podemos leer juntos.

Me enseña nuevos juegos.

Ella y Mami me llevan a caminar. Me gusta dormir cuando caminan.
También me gusta hacer muecas y a mi abuela le gusta ver todas mis muecas.

Pasar tiempo con ella es lo mejor. Yo le quiero mucho. Y ella me quiere también.

Más, ella deja que mis padres salgan para una cita, y eso les hace muy felíz. Entonces, son mejores padres para mí.

¡Gracias, Grammy, por venir a visitarme! Gracias por pasar tiempo conmigo, por abrazarme, por hablarme, y por enseñarme juegos. Gracias por caminar conmigo y con Mami. Y gracias por amarme.

¡Regrese pronto! ¡Muy pronto! ¿Qué haces mañana?

Introducing... Poop and Weeds Wednesday

Yes, you read it right. Poop and Weeds Wednesday. :)

No, this is not more potty humor stories... Although, those seem to abound in our household.

Actually, this is the beginning of a weekly devotional post that will last through the next several months. You see, about a year or two ago, before I was pregnant, before I blogged... before I was thinking about any of these things... I was randomly inspired to go clean up my back yard. At the time, it was filled with weeds and our dog's poop. Cleaning it up was quite a chore. But somewhere in between pulling weeds and carrying the loads to the trash can, I felt God whispering to me to write a devotional. So I put down my gardening tools, took off my gloves, and headed up to the computer. I wrote a short devotional, which I then saved and shoved in a drawer. It stayed there for over a year.

Now I know that I was supposed to write that devotional for such a time as this.

This is the introduction of the devotional, titled, "Thank you God for Poop and Weeds." Each week I'll post the next section. I'm not guaranteeing anything deserving of the Pulitzer Prize! But I promise you these words are from my heart. I pray God speaks to you through them.

______________________________________________

Thank You God for Poop and Weeds

Mark 4:3-20

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed... Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?
‘…Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,

Whose ears are open but don't understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.’”

"He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. The farmer plants the Word… The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it,

…and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

The Message Bible
Some verses omitted

Introduction

Today I went out into my backyard on a mission. To conquer the weeds in my yard. My yard is somewhat connected to my pride… I’m learning to let go of this. But I still find great pleasure in looking out into the back yard, seeing that it is well-manicured, green, and well… pretty.

Right now, it is not any of those things.

You see, our sprinkler system is broken, and neither my husband nor I have thought our yard a high enough priority to spend an hour and a half, twice a week watering it. So right now, our landscaping is composed of various shades of brown and weeds. “That doesn’t trample my spirit though!” I thought triumphantly, this afternoon after church. “No matter! Weeds must be pulled anyway!” And another thought occurred to me: “Certainly, there must be corners of my yard that are protected by shade, where the little moisture we get here in Colorado, is well-received and where plants grow and flourish and there is still living grass to save!”

Sure enough, I did find such a corner. And I set in to work.

As I set to work, lashing out life’s frustrations on the weeds, and enjoying the physical work of it, I began to think… and God began to speak to me. He reminded me of the Parable of the Sower, and he began to show me how much our spiritual lives are very much like the backyard grass. One parallel after another came to me, and I am now convinced, that God gave us weeds and poop – yes, that’s right… I said poop, too – in order to help us understand the importance of rooting out evil in our lives, in order that we may live a more abundant, life-giving, full life in God.

______________________________________________

Over the next several months, I'll share with you what those parallels are. Come back next week! In the mean time, would you share what this story means to you? Do so in the comments section, so all can enjoy and benefit.

Potty Humor - Part II

Warning. This post is rated PG.

Parental Guidance strongly recommended.

Lots of potty language to follow.

This is the sequel of Potty Humor - Part I, when Danny smiled for the first time - on the changing table. This is most definitely his favorite time to play.

It all started last night with a little diaper rash on my baby's tooshie. When changing Danilo's diaper, I noticed a bit of redness that was not going away, so I decided to let him have some bare-butt tummy time in the living room. Dryness and air always help this redness go away. I gathered a changing pad, a receiving blanket and several cloth diapers to put underneath him.

My Mom (who is visiting again - isn't it wonderful?!) and I were watching as Danny was playing, making the best sounds, talking and chattering. We recorded this video, and then turned him on his back while we turned to watch it. We were so focused on the video and the noises and expressions coming from his top end that we didn't notice what was happening at his bottom end.

Suddenly, my Mom looked down at her shorts, and shrieked, "He PEED on me!!" I immediately fell into fits of laughter. Nope, no sympathy or concern from me. I've been on the receiving end of Grandparents' Revenge plenty of times, so I just laughed my head off, while cleaning up the carpet. My mom said something about taking a shower, and I (again, with no sympathy at all) said, "Really?" I mean, gracious, if I showered for all the times I got pee, poop, or spit-up on my pants, I'd shower 3 times a day! So I handed her the box of baby-wipes and suggested she just change.

Well, I should've known what was coming.

Because today, my Mom and I were in the baby's room and I was changing Danny's diaper on the changing table. As always, he was giving me the best smiles ever (being in his favorite place to play) and I paused while he was bare to talk to him.

Big. Mistake.

The spray of pee that came flying out of nowhere could compete with fire hydrants everywhere. My face, my hair, my shirt, my pants, and all of my underclothes were wet. And after the shot in the face, I was laughing too hard to do anything but just use my hand to shield myself from any more. I wish I'd caught it on video. Words cannot describe the scene.

Just when I thought that the disaster had ended and I was preparing to survey the scene and clean up, Danny let out another squeal of delight.

Then there was Explosive. Poop.

My Mom (who stayed comfortably across the room) and I were laughing so hard we were crying. I couldn't even speak.

I'll spare you all the poopy details, but I decided that the best course of action was to strip myself and him down, put all of our clothes and the changing table cover in the cloth diaper laundry with all the other dirty diapers, and to take both our bare bottoms directly to the shower.

My Mom waited outside the shower for me to hand him out, and made a comment about my needing to take out the trash - which was overflowing and spilling onto the floor. What can I say? I just hadn't made it up with plastic bags yet, and nobody usually goes in there but Alejandro and I anyway.

Then I handed the clean baby out of the shower to his Grammy to be dressed and cuddled.

After stepping out of the shower, I saw all of the embarrassing items that were NOT in the trash, but rather spilling onto the floor because I hadn't cleaned up. Something about always wearing clean underwear in case you are caught in an accident came to mind. Lesson learned. My trash will be taken out promptly from now on. No matter who is or is not in the house.

Well, that's what I get for laughing at her last night.

Danny did get her one more time by peeing on the first diaper she tried to put on him and spitting up on the clean changing pad cover that she'd just put on. She deserved it. Poor Grammy!

A love note...

Dear Danny,

Yesterday you turned two months old! I can hardly believe that it's been only two short months since you entered our lives and turned our world upside down. It seems that you have always been here and I've always known and loved you.

There is so much about you that I adore. Your personality is so vibrant and alive! You are alert and happy. Playful and content. You love to laugh and you seem to take in the whole world as you discover it.
Mornings with you are close, snuggly and sleepy. You give me such joy. I just giggle when you are sleepy... and I know you got the wake-up-slowly habit from me. You love to come out of sleepy delirium slowly, just like I do.
And I love to find the excuse just to hold and cuddle you while you breathe slowly and soundly in restful dream-land.
When you are upright, you can mostly hold your head by yourself now. It's only just a little wobbly.
You often look off into the sky above. I think you might be looking at angels.
Whether sitting up or playing on your back, you mostly love to flail your arms and look for your hands. Sometimes when you're trying to get your hands to your mouth, you whack yourself in the head! When you play on your tummy, you can hold your head up for several seconds at a time, and you like to shove your fist in your mouth and suck on it. You're starting to play with sound and today you made the funnest noises as you played on your tummy. You've started to coo, and today you said "Hi!" four times!

You're on a three hour schedule. Your naps are an hour and a half, and it is so fun to watch you go from awake, through sleepiness, until you finally close your eyes. But it makes me sleepy to watch you!
When you are upset or impatient, you cry and it sounds like, "Mwaaaaw!" and you stick out your lower lip. Then you suck in and your lower lip quivers just enough to break my heart in two! But usually you don't stay upset for long.

Some of my favorite things are to give you kisses and smell your head and look into your eyes while I hold you and watch your many facial expressions while you look around and play. You are smart, attentive, energetic and active. You have a happy, gentle, fun-loving spirit. I love you, Danilo. I love to watch you grow.

Happy Two-Month Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

_____________________Español_____________________

Querido Danilo,

¡Ayer, cumpliste dos meses de edad! Me cuesta creer que han sido solamente dos meses desde cuando entraste nuestra vida. Parece que siempre has estado aquí y que siempre te he conocido y amado.

Hay tantas cosas de ti que adoro. ¡Tu personalidad es vibrante! Eres alerto y felíz. Juguetón y contento. Te encanta reír y parece que te enteras de todo el mundo mientras lo descubres.

Paso las mañanas contigo cerca, acurrucándonos. Me das tanto gozo. Me rio cuando tienes sueño... y sé que recibiste de mi parte el costumbre de despertarse lento. Te encanta tomar mucho tiempo despertarse, tal como yo. Me encanta buscar la escusa para solo sostenerte y acurrucarte mientras duermes y respiras lento, lleno de paz.

Cuando te sientas casi puedes sostener tu cabeza recta sin ayuda. Frequentamente miras a tu alrededer y hacia arriba. Yo pienso que tal vez estás viendo los ángeles en el cielo.

Sentado o acostado, muevas los brazos y buscas tus manos. ¡A veces cuando intentas poner tus manos en la boca, te pegas en el frente! Cuando juegas en el estómago, puedes sostener arriba tu cabeza por varios segundos, y te gusta comerte la mano. ¡Estás empezando jugar con sonido y hoy hiciste algunos ruidos graciosos! Nos dijistes "Hola" cuatro veces hoy. (En inglés, suena como JAIIIY!)

Duermes y comes cada tres horas. Me fascina verte pasar por despierto y alerto hasta dormido, hasta que cierras los ojos. ¡Pero me da sueño mirarte!

Cuando estás trastornado o impaciente, lloras y suena como, "Mwaaaaw!" y sacas la trompita. Pero no te quedas trastornado mucho tiempo.

Darte besos. Oler tu cabeza. Mirar en tus ojos mientras te sostengo. Mirar todas tus miradas y expresiones mientras juegas. Estas son las cosas que más me gustan. Eres inteligente, atento, lleno de energía y activo. Tienes un espíritu felíz, gentíl, divertido y tierno. Te amo, Danilo.

Con Amor,
Mami

Happy Mama!

Because Danny just slept through the night!

...and I'll be singing the praises of this little book...

...for many years to come!

(Seriously, they should start paying me for advertising to all of my... um... massive number of friends who might listen to me.)

This book gets a bad rap by many moms, but the principles work amazingly. It has given me so much freedom and confidence. I think the book may get a bad rap because, although it's well written, it's rather poorly organized in terms of finding issues your child might be facing at each age. I gained my understanding of the parenting philosophy from the book, but I attribute my success using it to several factors:

-I read the book before he was born. I recommend reading it with your spouse out loud and discussing it.
-Since he was born I've read and re-read and re-read and re-read certain sections of the book until I find the answers.
-I've had several friends who are moms who used the Babywise system and I asked their advice when I felt stumped. This helped a lot!
-I placed total faith in that the system does work and it's just a matter of my having diligence to figure out what any given road-bump might be.

I'll be back later today with two-month-old pictures. ;)

__________________Español__________________

Soy una madre felíz... porque Danny acaba de dormir toda la noche!

...gracias al libro Babywise (foto)...
(Deberían pagarme por darles publicidad. ¡Ji ji!)
El libro explica un system buenísimo de ayudar a que su bebé organice sus horas de dormir y comer. Ultimamente, ayuda a que el bebé duerme toda la noche aproximadamente a los dos meses de edad.

¡Danilo cumplió 2 meses ayer! Regresaré más tarde con fotos del día. ;)

Danilo's favorite time to play...

...is when we're changing his diaper! Alejandro recorded this last night.

¡A Danilo le encanta jugar... cuando estamos cambiándole el pañal! Alejandro grabó este video ayer en la noche.

Sheer Brilliance

In our house, we have a brilliant system.

The idea really came from my parents, so actually they're the brilliant ones. (Mom, Dad, bask in the glory! This is the reward for all of the rebellious teenage attitudes. You are now the smartest two people on the planet!)

This sytem involves something called "Mom's Night OFF."

Here's how our week day schedule goes:
Monday night - Dad's night off.
Tuesday night - My Mary Kay night, so Danny and Dad hang out, while Mom is out with the girls making mula.
Wednesday night - Date night.
Thursday night - Mom's night off!! (Do you hear the angels singing?)
Friday night - Family night.

(Ok, I should put Dad's Night Off in bold and underline and highlight as well. But WHOSE blog is this, anyway?)

On Mom's Night Off, I get an evening to do, well... Anything I want. No work. No diaper changes. No cooking dinner. (In fact, it's cooked for me.) No crying baby. No baby at all if I need a break. But if I want to cuddle him to my heart's content, I can! Alejandro is totally in charge. He brings Danny to me when he needs to eat and then I am free again. He does the burping, the putting to bed, the getting him up, and all! It's fabulous.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my little boy, and I totally love spending my time with him. But I am a much better mom when I get a night off.

This I learned, because when I was a little girl, my parents had a similar rule. After 8 p.m., Mom was off duty and Dad put us to bed. It made for great Daddy-bonding time. He made a total game out of putting us to bed, and some of my favorite childhood memories were of bedtimes with Dad. It also made for a sane, happy, more rested Mom. And it also made for a household that was equally parented.

Dad's night off is equally as fabulous for him. He gets to do nothing but hole up in the garage and do, um... guy stuff - whatever that is - for a night, if he wants. So he gets his much-needed cave-time.

And the cool thing is that if we want to spend our night off with each other, we can. And often, we do. But if we don't want to, it's totally ok. In fact, often times, Alejandro will say, "Are you sure you want to do ______? Don't you want to just relax and get together with a girlfriend?" I love that my husband says this to me!

Now girls, if ya'll decide to implement this brilliant little system in your own homes, there is a catch to it. And that is that the nights that you're off and Dad's on duty and in charge, you have to let him be in charge. I found it difficult at first not to tell him that the diaper was on wrong and would surely leak. (After all, what do I care? He's the one who had to clean it up anyway. He learned just like I did.) ...and it was tough not to tell him exactly how Danny likes to be put to bed. (He figured that out too. And by the way, now Danny can be put to bed by more than just me! And in more than one way.) And when Danny cried, it was hard not to tell him why he was crying (because usually I did know) and let him figure it out. (And he did figure it out, and now knows Danny's cries and coos and noises just about as well as I do.) ...But if you can let go, I promise, it is totally worth it.

So anyway, last night, being my night off, went like this:

I made some phone calls I wanted to make and felt productive, in my pajamas. Alejandro brought Danny to me and I nursed him, in my pajamas. Then we had a delicious Costa Rican dinner, cooked by Alejandro - I was still in my pajamas. Then I blogged to my heart's content. You guessed it - in my pajamas. And finally, early to bed to cuddle with Alejandro, and have a glass of wine.

See how great this is people!?

I'm telling you. You have to try it in your house. I insist.

Danilo's First Trip to the E.R.

So, yesterday I didn't post anything because I was recovering from the fiasco that occurred Tuesday night. And all I have to say is that you all are in trouble for not warning me ahead of time.

Ok, you're not really.

But Danilo's pediatrician is. Anybody know a good pediatrician in Colorado Springs? I'm looking for a new one.

Tuesday night right after blogging that Danilo was sleeping soundly, he woke up and threw a fit. Crying. Screaming. It seemed that every touch or movement hurt him. I was distraught. After two hours of this, I finally called the "Ask a Nurse" hotline. (Something else I'm seriously considering not repeating.) She asked me what his temperature was. I took it and it was 100.0° F. You'd think a nurse would know that after 4 vaccinations for a dozen different illnesses, this is a common reaction, but apparently this nurse did not. So given how sensitive to the touch he seemed (and how freaked out I sounded) she advised us to go to the E.R. So we did - while at the same time I texted family and friends and asked for prayer - freaking everyone else out too.

Of course, as soon as we got there, he stopped screaming and turned it down to a low whimper, accompanied by that darn lower lip of his. (I so wish I'd brought the camera and gotten this whole first E.R. visit on camera. Oh well.) Then we sat in the waiting room for a half an hour next to two dozen other germy people, trying to shield Danny from the air while at the same time trying not to appear totally rude. I'm sure we failed.

Then they called us back and they took his temperature. By this time, Danny had stopped whimpering. At least when his temp registered 100.9° F the nurses didn't think I was a totally paranoyed, hyper-protective, completely inexperienced psycho first time mom. So they admitted him and we got to wait for another hour and a half to see the doctor. (Because long waits are a required part of every E.R. visit, right?) At least we got to watch "America's Got Talent." I nursed Danny and he ate voraciously.

Finally, we got to see the doctor. By this time, Danilo was pretty much back to his happy, content, cooing self. Fussing only when he was moved too much. The doctor saw him and asked us, "Why was it you brought him in?" After the obligatory lookie into his ear, listen to his heart, and poke at him in several places, he announced that our baby was just fine and that probably the fever would fade, but we should watch him closely. He said Tylenol would bring the fever down.

(Sigh.)

Next, the nurse came in to give him Tylenol and I asked if we could re-take his temperature before giving him Tylenol, since it had been an hour and a half since they first took it. It was 99.5° F. So the Tylenol was no longer needed. "Is this your first baby?" the nurse asked, failing to conceal her utter annoyance. "Yes," I nodded, while Alejandro groaned inwardly.

Then we sat for another hour while they got our discharge papers ready. What is it about discharge papers that they are so complicated and take so long to prepare, anyway? At this point, Danilo was sleeping and we were bored. So I started to pull out papers from my purse - you know - the papers from his doctor's visit earlier that day, and here is what I read:

...Uh huh. And then I read this:

Of course. Seriously, who reads large packets of paper after you're home from the doctor and your kid is screaming his head off? I'm thinking this is pertinent information that should have been pointed out to me before I left. Dontcha think?

Both of us, being beyond the point of delerium, started to giggle.

Alejandro (referring to the nurse's question about us being new parents) said, "If I wasn't a Christian, I would have said something horrible!" I lost it and laughed hysterically. Then things just got stupid silly. You know when things are so far gone that you're just slap-happy? I think the staff was ready to throw us out on the street.

Another nurse came in and asked us a number of questions. Birthday, legal name, social security number, religious preference. "Christian," I said. I almost wish I'd lied.

Finally we were on our way. While I was waiting in the entry-way and Alejandro was getting the car, a woman came waddling in (because her pregnant belly was further out than she was tall) carrying pillows, an overnight bag, and a birthing ball. She was obviously in labor.

Man, she doesn't know what she's in for! Ha ha!

So that's the story of our first E.R. visit with Danilo. Got any killer E.R. stories you'd like to share? Comment away...

Danilo's First Shots / Primeras Vacunas para Danilo

Danny had his first vaccinations today. He screamed bloody murder.

But I survived.

I even got away without shedding a tear! (Barely.) Oh, and he's doing fine too. :)

The doctor says he's growing just as he should. I think he's growing like a weed. I think our weeds are growing too fast as well. Oh wait, wrong subject. At eight weeks old, he weighs 9 lbs, 14 oz. and is 21 inches long/tall.

I got to ask lots of good questions, like...

"Why does he whack himself in the face?" "Because he's still learning spacial awareness."

"Why does his eye cry so much?" "Because he might have a clogged tear duct - here's how to clear it." (It's no big deal.)

"Why is his head oblong shaped?" "Because he always sleeps on one side dimwit. (Just kidding, she didn't really say that.) Make him sleep with his head turned the other way sometimes."

...and many other such silly questions that first-time parents ask. ;)

So now our precious bundle is cranky but sleeping soundly. See...

___________________Español___________________

Danilo recibió las primeras vacunas hoy. Chilló como loco.

Pero yo sobreviví.

Aún evité de llorar. (Apenas.) ¡Ah! y Danilo está muy bien también. :)

El doctor dice que está creciendo tal como debe. Yo creo que está creciendo demasiado rápido. Ya tiene 8 semanas, y pesa 9 libras, 14 onzas. Mide 53 centímetros.

Yo pude preguntarle al doctor muchas cosas, como....

"¿Por qué él se pega con la mano?" "Porque todavía está aprendiendo ser conciente de su propio ser y el espacio alrededor."

"¿Por qué llora el ojo tanto?" "Porque puede ser que tiene el conducto lagrimal cerrado - le enseño como abrirlo." (No es gran cosa.)

"Por qué tiene la cabeza no redondo sino alargado?" "Porque siempre duerme con la cara a un solo lado, idiota. (¡Es una broma! No dijo eso.) Tiene que hacer que duerma con la cabeza a otro lado de vez en cuando."

...y muchas otras preguntas de madre-por-primera-vez. Ahora nuestro chiquillo precioso está chichoso, pero está durmiendo riquísimo al momento.

Danilo's First Camping Trip! / Acampando con Danilo

What kind of crazy parents take their 7-week-old camping!? (Apparently we do.) And what kind of crazy woman goes camping at 7 weeks post-partum?! (Oh, that would be me.)

The best part of this trip is that we decided to go camping approximately one hour before leaving to go! Yes! I have not lost my spontaneity! - therefore proving to myself that I would NOT become one of those parents that quits doing anything at all and sits at home a slave to the rigid schedule of their child. Yay!

Ok, so we were going to go for a bbq picnic up in the mountains for the afternoon. Then Alejandro pulls me close and says, "wanna' just pack the tent and stay the night?" half expecting me to say no.

"Um... sure, why not?" I said, completely suprising him.

So I packed bags for Danny and I. Look, I did SO much better than the last trip! Of course, this time it was only one night. But still.

Alejandro packed the car. And half of the things that I forgot. Like my pillow. And a bed. And the toothpaste and toothbrush. And the soap. You know. The unimportant stuff. (Jeez, I'm glad he remembered all that stuff or I'd have been miserable.)
  And soon we were off.

We got there with just enough time to set up the tent before cooking dinner. Then we settled down for the night. Toby was cozy.

Danny was cozy.

Alejandro and I froze.

But on to the fun part of the trip. Look at my little Michelin man all bundled up to hang out while we ate breakfast and enjoyed coffee...
  Seriously, there is nothing better than Costa Rican coffee by the camp fire in the crisp morning air. Ok, there are a few things that are better... Like my warm bed, pasta, a glass of wine, and an evening writing and reading blogs... But I digress.

We found the most fabulous camping spot! Actually we found it while off-roading with some friends of ours last year. It's off the beaten path, right next to a babbling brook, with plenty of shade and sunlight so you can choose if you want cool air or warm. No, I won't tell you where it is. It's mine. It's mine! Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, this is what it looks like.

Here's the view facing the opposite direction.

Toby made a bee-line for the stream. He was a blast to watch. He ferociously protected us from the squirrels wild animals.

Danny and I cuddled a lot. :)

Alejandro did manly stuff. Like break dead tree stumps for the fire. Look at the method! I'm married to MacGyver.

And build fires.

And teach Toby tricks. And feed Toby snacks.

And hang out with Danilo. What didn't he do? :)

And driving home, we saw this:

Yes, we are in the year 2009. You're not dreaming. (Although I thought I was.) Seriously, we see the best stuff on the road. Remember what we saw last weekend?

So that's what we did this weekend. What did you do?

_______________________Español_______________________

¡Este fin de semana fuimos a acampar! Era más o menos una hora antes de salir que decidimos ir. Ibamos a ir nada más para la tarde y regresar en la noche, pero Ale sugerió quedarnos por la noche y yo le sorporendí por decir que sí.

Yo empaqué las bolsas para Danilo y yo, pero casi se me olvidó un montón de cosas... Por ejemplo la cama. Mi almohada. El cepillo de dientes. ¡Las cosas más importantes! Por dicha, Ale recordó todo. ¡Yo habría estado en problemas!

Toby (el perro) y Danilo estaban bien calientitos por la noche. Pero Ale y yo teníamos mucho frío. ¡Brrrrr! Pero bueno, sobrevivimos. ;)

En la mañana, disfrutamos café costarricense (¡que rico!) a la par de la fogata. Toby pasó mucho tiempo en el riachuelo. Yo chinié cuidé a Danilo. ;) Ale quebraba madera, cocinaba, cuidó a Toby, y cuidó a Danilo también. O sea, ¿qué no hizo Ale?

¡En ruta a la casa vimos una carreta! ¡Que risa!

¿Qué hicieron ustedes este fin de semana?

Honoring Pearce Wynston

We have some very courageous friends. Their names are Jon and Charmian. They always have a humungous smile on their face. They look for the good in every situation. They inspire and motivate others to be their best, just because of who they are. They are some of our very best friends.

This is Charmian and I on our very first adventure together, 11 years ago.




We've had many adventures since then.

This is Charmian and I the day we found out that their little boy would only be with them for a very short time. That's when we started praying that God would allow him to live long enough for them to meet face to face in this life. We started praying for just a few minutes. On July 13 at 1:26 a.m., God graciously granted them eleven.


Pearce, someday our family will spend eternity with yours. And you and Danny can run and play together, like Charmian and I dreamed that you would. That dream will come true, in the presence of our Holy Father. In the mean time, we miss you.

Charmian and Jon, thank you for the honor of being your friends and walking through this with you. You are the best parents a kid could ask for. We love you!