Birthday Celebration

This is the week of b-days for our family. Tu and I both have a birthdays 8 days apart, and my brother Josh and I share the same exact b-day. Not to mention all the Family and friends who also have b-days at this time. So It's a great big BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! We celebrated my b-day with some of our friends who also celebrated August b-days, and then my parents came up and took us to a great dinner and yogurt in Carpinteria. It was a great time, and I had such a blessed time for my b-day! Thanks Tu, Dad, Mom, my kids, and the Denny/Hibbard Family for making my b-day so special. Happy Birthday Josh!!! Missed you and Dan, but see you soon, maybe for TU's b-day next week! Thank you JESUS for family and for Birthday Celebrations! God is good!

Scrap Rak

My Friend Janie is having a give away rak on her blog. Check it out scrappers...

http://itsallgreektometoo.blogspot.com/2009/08/rak-random-act-of-kindness.html 

9 Months and Two Years!

Okay so Aaliyah turned 9 months this month and I decided to take her 9 Month pics myself. Tu, Tre, Aaliyah, and I went down to the nearby beach and had some fun with the Camera. Also Also, here are some 2 year and four month pics of Tre. These are not edited yet, but I thought I would share them anyway. I can't believe how fast they are growing! I had a flash ahead to a day when Aaliyah might be asking me to barrow clothes or jewelry. That was too scary :) I told her that day she could stay this age forever :)! Wishful thinking! Tre and Aaliyah are both getting so big, they love spending time together even when it turns into a wrestling match. They are always so excited to see each other especially in the morning and after naps, it's so darn cute! I pray they are close always. I thank the LORD for them both, they bring so much joy to our lives! 

Altered Gifts

Okay so I thought this was kinda cool and wanted to share. These are two altered frames that I have made my wonderful husband  and best friend the Lord has blessed me with. The first one I made when we were in college which was five years ago now. The second one I recently made for our fifth year anniversary. The traditional gift is "wood" so I wanted to do something with wood. Well, the original frame usually sits on our dinner table with some tulips in a vase (tulips also were part of our early dating days). As I was staring at the original picture the Lord gave me the idea to recreate the "original picture frame" but in wood to celebrate our five years! I was very happy with the way it turned out and it matched our home colors too, but tthe best part is that Tu really like it. Thank you JESUS!

Precious Gift!

Okay so it's not July, but this is a little post for Christmas in August. I scrapped these pictures of Aaliyah today (they are her one month pics, but I just had a itch to do them. So Merry Christmas in August!!!  Oh, and for all of you with kidos don't forget they are a PRECIOUS GIFT and that EVERY good and perfect gift is from above (james 1:17). It was a great reminder to me.  The pictures didn't take the best but you can at least see this precious gift we are so thankful for her!

Bearing Fruit

So lately the little one, Tre, has been testing us and the deciphering of disciplining has really been at the forefront of our lives. We had a rough little time yesterday and mommy's patience were being refined while Tre's obedience was being sharpened, but through God's grace we are taking it one day at a time knowing that the Lord is truly worthy of this fruit he wants us to bear. This is a little lesson the Lord gave to me this morning... 

John 15:1-8 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.  These things I have spoke to you, that my Joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full!

After listening to a message on the same verses and then reading this today the Lord showed me that this challenging time of discerning discipline for our 2 year old is all about bearing fruit! My  struggles with Tre are the Lord’s way of allowing me to be pruned and at the same time allowing Tre to be pruned (even at such a young age) the Lord is desiring us to bear fruit to bring HIM glory and to truly be His disciples. The fruit in which we bear produces in us character traits of the Lord which we don’t have or that we need to fine-tune and work on. It was encouraging to think that the Lord would produce in us fruit through these tough times. It is because our Father Loves us that He desires to see us bear fruit for His glory! He is not done refining us and each thing he allows in our lives is to refine us/ prune us so that we can truly say... HE is the vine and we are HIS branches.  Through this pruning process we are challenged, changed, and ready to bear the fruit for His Glory. AND through the pruning and bearing fruit process He gives us true JOY! No that is worth fighting for! That is worth battling over, and that is worth the pain of pruning to produce the presence of HIS peace; in our children and in us!  Thank you JESUS!

I pray this encourages you as it has me! Blessings to you all.

Seeing Cinci

Oh YEAH! WE did it! We took two little ones on a 3 hour flight to see Cincinnati! It was WONDERFUL! We were blessed to visit our family and some of our college friends in Cincinnati, Ohio, Tu's home land! It was such a great time seeing everyone! We have not been to Cinci for 5 years so it was a much needed tip. The trip started great as we were able to visit with Mush and John on the way to the airport and trying to avoid LA trafic. Once we arrived in Cinci we were able to spend time with Tu's family and had some great times together! While there we were able to meet our new nephew, Hezichiah. He is adorable; I really wanted to steal him and bring him home with me. We were also blessed to be able to celebrate Mimi's (Tu's Mom's b-day), Watch Mali (our first Nephew) fight in Pa pa and Grandma Price's karate tournament, Tre and Aaliyah meet their aunties and uncles for the first time :), celebrate with Chad as he married, spend time hangin out and spending GREAT time with college friends, having an awesome family bbq at Mimi's house and getting to see Grandpa and grandma Nelly and cousins we han't seen for years, going to the Cinci Zoo, Watching some one on one basketball, taking some professional pics with Pa Pa and family, visiting Grandma Gerry and Ed, spending time driving around childhood neighborhoods, and last but not least enjoying the classics of Cinci with La Rosa's Pizza, United Dairy farmers, and the famous Skyline. Aaliyah didn't really eat that, just so you know, but Tre... oh he KILLED his!

Here are a few of the professional pics we took in Cinci