Yummy Recipe

Okay if you like salads, or even if you don't you will love this! I purchased my supplies at Trader Joe's and it's so yummy! Here is a picture of the products and directions! Enjoy!

Pour Brocilii slaw into a bowl

add Godess dressing to taste (little goes a long way)

Stir mixing until dressign is throughout

sprinkle

Baby J at 4 Weeks

So I can not believe 4 weeks has already passed since this little gift has been added to our family! She is changing and growing so much! Here are a couple quick takes of her from today! I am also starting to get little smiles her and there; love that! Can't wait to capture one on camera! :) Oh, and she's got dimples! She is so cute! Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to our new living and being a family of 5 ! Crazy!

Our First Outing in 4 Weeks!

We went for our first outing this weekend. We had our friends and pastor from my dad's church(U-turn for Christ) come to San Francisco so we headed to the city to meet them for dinner. It was a great blessing to see Pastor Mario and his beautiful family. Ev it was fun hanging with you girl; sorry it couldn't have been longer! ~Pics below~

Okay so for us taking all 3 out to the city for our first outing was quite the adventure. First, we found a parking spot which was really a miracle. Tu then went to track down some quarters (get change) while the kids and I waited in the car. The next adventure came when the meter only maxed out at 1 hour, then you have to return to put more money in. Okay that is just lame! So, we headed to the Wharf, walked around for a bit to find a place to eat. Once we did we had two older kidos that needed to use the potty and Tu was headed ba

ck to the car to add more money. He took Tre while Aaliyah, Jaylin, and I waited with the Rocha family for the food. So after trying to help Aaliyah with Fediccini and keep Jaylin content, I ended up with that rich white sauce on my leg and Aaliyah had it all over her mouth and shirt! I think Jaylin may have had some too :) lol j/k. So when Tu returned from the car I was relieved and was able to clean up a bit, feed Jaylin to calm her, and then we finished dinner and had a great time of fellowship! But the adventure was not yet over.....

Once in the car we headed for home when Jaylin expressed in tears her need to be burped

. Well, in the city it's not so easy just to pull over and get her out, so 2 miles of stop n go traffic, 10 min of off and on crying, Tre trying to tell Jaylin to stop crying, and Tu turning the music up to try to stop all of it, we finally arrived at a gas station! Took Jaylin out let her get her burp up, changed her and placed her back in the car seat. Headed out of the gas station into more city traffic and the crying continued. Oh fun times!

It was then we realized we did not pray; so we prayed that she would have peace and sleep and she did! And thank you JESUS because it would be another hour and a half of traffic! Oh, got to love the city! The rest of the way was decently peaceful except for Aaliyah who decided to take her shoes on and off and needs help every time she puts them back on. Oh, but it was an adventure! Our new adventure with 3 and it was fun to just get out for a little bit. :)

here are some fun pics from the day...

Full Full Week 3

Well Jaylin turned 3 weeks this monday and this week has been fun of fun around the house! Here are a few of my favorite moments from the week. Thank you Jesus! Oh, and I even did a little scrappin, which was so fun!

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This is Tre from last October; can't believe how fast he is growing!

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Here is Baby Jaylin at 3 Weeks!

And some more fun from the week... Tre is loving his new little sis

three of them together... before bed and rise and shine:)

Daddy time!

Okay so this is Tre in a Soccer Uniform that was given to him by John who coached with my at CM. I thought it would be so long before he wore it and I can't believe it is now that time! Man, time is flying and I thank the Lord for every day! Doesn't Tre look like a little soccer stud... now just convincing daddy that soccer is in his future not just football :)

Mrs. Kollene who is amazingly generous with her time and sweet treats brought the kids and I Jamba Juice (which we just love) and bagels! She such a blessing and the kids just love her!

They love their lunch boxes :)

Just some fun pics from a few things we did this week

Have a blessed week!

~Jewels~

Build the wall of Praise!

Here is a little something I wanted to share that the Lord gave me....

In Nehemiah chapter 12 vs 40, 43, 46 the Lord reminds me to PRAISE and REJOICE and to be full of GREAT JOY!!!

It is amazing because Nehemiah leads the people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. He is a great leader and models many amazing qualities. One that I find admirable is the fact that he faced much opposition as he went through the building process of the wall. He was conspired against and many said he was unable, but He sought the Lord each time, He didn't depend on the opinion of man and he kept his focus on the Lord and his call. Then when the wall was completed he dedicated the wall and put in place two THANKSGIVING Choirs and it says in verse 43 that they offered sacrifices and REJOICED for GOD had made them REJOICE with GREAT JOY, the women and children rejoiced also, so that the JOY of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

WOW! This was just so encouraging to me first to focus on REJOICING and PRAISING HIM WITH GREAT JOY! Also, as a mother we are like Nehemiah in that we are daily building and molding our kids just as they built the wall. We too have a choice like Nehemiah when the opposition comes. We can choose to run to our JESUS and in Him find the strength to model Christ to our kids and to choose JOY. To choose to praise our GOD and teach our children to do the same!

THis is my prayer today! That the Lord would give me the JOY and the ability to choose JOY and choose to be the wife and mommy and leader like Nehemiah who was unmoved by the opposition and kept his feet on the ROCK; Jesus!

Jaylin's Birth Story!

Jaylin’s Birth Story

(More pics below)

Okay, so I was not going to share this publically, but the Lord has laid it on my heart to share with all of you, so I can share how he Let me first say that this is to boast in NO other, but in the LORD JESUS CHRIST! PRAISE THE LORD! For HE is the faithful and powerful deliverer!

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the CROSS of our LORD JESUS CHRIST…

To give you a little background I have been reading through the old and new testament in my devotion time. WOW! The Lord has showed me so much through doing this. It has been amazing the journey the Lord has taken our family, and me individually, in this 18 months. He has taught us so much! I can see now that one of the many things the Lord was teaching me through this time was to prepare me for the day Jaylin would arrive.

It started with a comment from my wonderful friend Katie after she gave birth to her little girl with no epidural/medication. As she shared with me that the only way she was able to get through it was to focus on the Cross and all that JESUS did for us. At the time ( I am embarrassed to admit) I kinda thought, yeah, yeah, but how? I respected her comment, but disregarded the truth that I could do the same. It was my desire not to take the epidural due to it only working on my left side and it worried me. But I was afraid I would not be able to do it and afraid of other things too.

Later that year God would move us to Camarillo where I was in a discipleship group with my sweet friend Noelle and some other amazing women and we studied the cross. It was in this bible study that the Lord broke me and revealed to me the POWER that is available to us through His blood shed on the cross. He not only showed me that what HE endured for us was out of LOVE for us, but that the same strength and power that kept Him on the cross was available to me through Him ! WOW! It hit me like a ton of bricks. I repented for my unbelief and prayed for the same power. To be honest I battled over and over between total confidence in the power of Christ and the cross and fear and disbelief. All through my pregnancy I was praying over this battle in my mind. Praying for Christ strength and power, the same power that allowed Christ to defeat sin and death to give us eternal life, the same power that I would have to be able to deliver Jaylin.

The Lord continued to confirm HIS power to deliver and fight for me! He showed me over and over through His word in Acts, Psalms, I & II Chronicles, I & II Kings ,Ezra, and Nehemiah that HE was a faithful deliverer! He battled for and set His people free time and time again as they called out and depended on Him, and that He could do the same for me!

II Chronicles 20:15

…Thus says the Lord to you; Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but the Lord God’s.

II Chronicles 20:17

You do not need to fight this battle. position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you…

…Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out against them for the Lord is with you!

II Chronicles 32:7-8

Be strong and Courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the King of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is the arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our GOD to help us and to FIGHT our battles!

These are a few of the MANY MANY verses the Lord gave me to strengthen my heart to believe in HIM and the POWER He gives each of us! He is soooooooo gracious and so faithful!

In June Tu accepted a position in Northern Cali . I was not thrilled about the area at first, but after seeking the Lord He showed me(us) this was were He wanted us and He totally changed my heart. Through the move God provided not only a great opportunity for Tu, but wonderful benefits and medical for all of us. This was a huge blessing as Jaylin was two months from arrival, and our previous insurance was costing an arm and leg every time we went for a visit. God’s faithfulness again!!!! He is so good!

The move also allowed another amazing gift! Two weeks before Jaylin’s due date Tu and I and the kids walked to the school for a football scrimmage and meeting that Tu was to speak at after. He had been doing a lot of speaking that week and he was so sweet to include us all in his introductions. Because he shared that we were expecting our third any day a wonderful, gracious, generous, and amazing woman told him she wanted to meet me. Her name is Tara. Tara was so sweet and genuinely excited about me being pregnant. She introduced herself, shared that she had five children and that she was a Dula. She offered her services, and we exchanged numbers.

At first we were unsure. I knew I wanted to go natural, but then the fear of failure and fear of all the other things came barreling back in. After Tu and I talked one night we decided that if she called me that I would pursue and just be honest with her about my fears. I felt the Lord placed her in my life for such a time as this, but the fear kept me from accepting her MORE than generous offer. Well, Tu and I went to bed that night, I fell asleep praying about it and Tara called the next day. I shared with her my fears and that I didn’t want to let her or anyone else down. She was so sweet and supportive. She said, “ I want to be there to support you, but I want you to know you CAN do it.” It was so relieving and so inspiring too. After hanging up the phone I was excited but nervous all again. I was thanking the Lord for this divine appointment, but still battling! From then on I just kept praying over the whole delivery day. I shared with Tu, my mom, and my friend Noelle the battle and they were each so loving to pray with and for me! It was daily that I fought off the fear through the scriptures the Lord would give me in my devotion time as well as through prayer. The Lord began to place it on my heart to memorize scripture that he had given me. I wrote many of the verses on 3x5 cards and would pray them for the delivery of Jaylin. It is amazing to me how God was preparing me time and time again! DAILY He gave me a promise of His faithfulness through His words in scripture, prayers from family or friends, and time on my knees with HIM. He gives daily what we need!

Psalm 69:19

Blessed be the Lord, who DAILY loads us with benefits. The God of our salvation!

The night before I was to deliver the Lord gave me an amazing devotion. I was over due, feeling big and ready to deliver… trying to trust the Lord’s timing. I grabbed a pregnancy devotional given to me with Tre and I opened to read this verse…

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross… Hebrews 12:2

In the devotion it talked about how in the same way that Jesus endured the cross because of the JOY He would receive knowing that we could forever be set free and live with Him forever was a picture of what we as mothers endure for the Joy that will be before us when we hold that little one in our arms. It made so much since to me. With the power of what the Lord did on the cross I too can endure this pain, that is no where near the pain He endured for me, because of the Joy that will be before me when I am holding my little girl in my arms. Oh it gave me so much comfort! I prayed and reflected upon that verse all night. Little did I know I would be quoting that verse in labor the next day! J GOD IS SO GOOD!

So the day finally came…

AUGUST 30^th 2010 (30 years after my mom delivered me) the Lord would bring Jaylin into our lives! The morning was calm, mom was in and Tu and I took the kids and went to see my OBGYN for a pain I was having in my right leg. Well, she told me I was 3.5 cm at the time. While there I was not having bad contractions, so we left with the diagnosis that it may be my sciatic nerve. We stopped for a late lunch at In-N-Out and some Krispy Kream doughnuts and headed home. Good healthy lunch; huh?J! During lunch I had a few strong contractions, and by the time we arrived at home they were increasing, but still bearable. Tu had a meeting at school (which I told him to go to) and I was texting him at each contraction. When they were at 6 mins apart he came home. We had some friends Brian and Betsi stopping over on their way up to Oregon so we visited with them for a few minutes until I had to go to the bedroom because the contractions were getting worse. When they were about 4-5 minutes apart I called Tara and she was able to come over. Then the process began. The Lord gave Tu and Tara and amazing amount of patience and they both helped me labor at home as long as possible! The power of JESUS was so real to me. I was praying and asking the Lord for HIS strength and focusing on the power of Christ on the cross and all He did on it. Katie’s comment a year ago, the bibles study on the cross, my time in God’s word daily, writing and praying the verses, praying, all gave me the power to focus on JESUS! When I began to panic Tu would pray or Tara would encourage me to cry out to JESUS. I was doing that inside, but I began to do it verbally/out loud. I kept quoting scripture that the Lord had given me when the pain would come or I would start to fear,These were a few of His words I spoke out…

“ I can do all things through you JESUS” (Philippians 4:13)

“You so not give me a spirit of Fear, but of POWER, and LOVE and a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7)

“You will fight for me JESUS” (II Chronicles 32:7-8)

“For the JOY set before me” (Hebrews 12:2)

“Your peace Jesus; you will bless your people with your peace” (Psalm 29:11)

These were some of the words and promises that the Lord had given me, and how I cried out to Him in the midst of my pain and HE heard me and gave me the strength to get through! I so BOAST in my JESUS!!!!!!!! He is soooooooooooo faithful!!!!!!! He provided everything… from scripture, to giving me an amazing husband who is supportive, to friends, to prayers, to providing Tara who was truly like an angel and the skills and knowledge she has that helped assist me, and to HIS amazing Grace! I am so undeserving and yet He is so loving and gracious! Thank you JESUS!

We left our home at around 5:20 arrived at the hospital at 5:30 and Jaylin was in my arms at 6:07pm!!!! WOW! God is sooooooooo amazing! God was so faithful to strengthen me and to meet us at every single turn! We had prayed for 9 months for the safety of Jaylin, ordained doctors and nurses/staff (God brought us a dula), a quick and smooth delivery (my friend Sara shared that she prayed the Lord would shoot her babies out…quick… that became our prayer too), strength to endure, and I even prayed for her head to be small. J God was and is so gracious and faithful! He heard our cries and He deserves all GLORY HONOR and PRAISE! He cares and listens to the smallest and detailed requests. He is so faithful!

THANK YOU JESUS! HE is truly an amazing GOD!

While looking back in my journal I wanted to share two verses that I read the day before the Lord delivered Jaylin and me J

Nehemiah 1:10-11

Now these are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name; and let your servant prosper this day, I pray and grant him mercy…

I prayed this prayer for the delivery of Jaylin and my God is so faithful to hear my prayer and deliver me! Thank you oh sweet JESUS! You are so good!

Again, I share this with you not to boast in my strength, or me but to BOAST only in the strength of the Lord JESUS! He is the reason I can share this amazing journey of how He has taught me to trust and depend and focus and believe on HIM! I remember numerous times praying, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” Not only did He help me believe, but He empowered me to victory, He heard my prayers, and He delivered me and our sweet little girl! In my own strength this is impossible, but with God all things are possible! THANK YOU LORD JESUS! YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMAZING!!!! He can and will do the same for you in whatever situation you face! Cling to HIM!

I Love you and thank you all who interceded for us! We felt the prayers of peace!

God's provision and my amazing coaches and precious gift!

Jaylin is 2 Weeks!

Okay so on Monday Jaylin turned 2 weeks! Time is flying!

Here are a few pics of our growing and changing little one! Thank you Jesus for her little life!

Please pray for protection for her health as she grows and that she will love JESUS always!

Thanks all

Love in Jesus,

~Jewels~

A full 1st Week!

Here is Jaylin in her first week of life!

The Sleeping beauty in her bassinet. My mom made all the bedding and my brothers and I and each of our kids have all used this! So special!

Our family of 5! WOW! That is crazy to say! Thank you JESUS for the family you have given us!

Mommy of Three at 30. Okay so I don't know what is more crazy to me... that I am 30 and had our 3rd on my 30th b-day or that I have 3 kids. Man, I feel like I just got out of college. Were is the time going??? STOP! STOP! :) lol I am so blessed and thankful for the 3o years and the 3 kids, and amazing hubby the Lord has given me!

T & A admiring their new baby sis as she checks out her new crib!

Jaylin's 1st Bath at home! It was fun, but she didn't enjoy it too much at first, which made the picture taking a little rushed, but it's all good!

We all joined in. The kids loved watching and Nana was able to join us too!

My awesome hubby who has been INCREDIBLE with helping with the kids and now the new bundle! He allows me to sleep as much as possible, and still is willing to help by letting Jaylin sleep on him too! He has held the home together so I could rest! Thank you babe for all your work! You truly have a servant's heart! I love you! So blessed to have these gifts from Jesus with you! God is so good!

Okay, here is daddy trying to give mommy a break, stay awake with starbucks and continue his schooling too! He is an amazing man! Thank you Jesus for him!

While Jaylin Sleeps Tre, Aaliyah and I made daddy some b-day cupcakes! Happy b-day Babe!

Yeah! We did have a little... okay a LOT of help from my wonderful Mommy who graciously stayed and helped us settle in. Thank you Mom! She was amazing! She helped make lunches, take care of T & A, cleaned, did laundry, made beds, washed dishes, did more laundry, made some curtains and two adorable blankets for the girls, and spoiled us with sleeping in in the mornings! WOW! And seriously that is just a little list of all she did! Thank you Mom for giving of yourself, time, and money! We love and appreciate all you did and do for us! Thanks Dad for allowing her to come; it was TRULY a great blessing!

Uncle Danny came to visit too! So fun to have him!

The kids just love hangin with their uncles when they can!

Jaylin's 1st visit/check up. She is doing well and growing already. She lost a little weight at first, but she's headed back up :)! Other then getting her little clock turned around she is doing well. She is gettting lots of love from her bro and sis too; they just adore her.