Unto Us A Savior Was Born!

Despite all that is going on in the world and in your world, remember the real reason for the season...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ... For some, it is a very difficult time of year. Some have lost loved ones, some are battling illnesses, some are in troubled relationships and some may just feel completely hopeless. Next time you are out and about and somebody is unkind to you or rude to you, remember that you don't know what they are going through or what is consuming them. Repay every act (good or bad) with kindness and just see what happens. Make it your mission to brighten the day of all you come in contact with.

It is a time for giving outside of yourself. That could be in the form of your time, your money or your talents. How can you be a blessing to someone in need?

I will never forget the times when I was most in need...I was about 20 years old and going through a very rough time. I needed emotional support and my dear family and friends were there for me. You all know who you are! Countless nights hanging out in restaurants just to get me out of the house, countless days hanging out with me at my house or running errands with me, just to keep my mind off of my then circumstances, not to mention the love that was shown to my baby girl.

More recently, my husband and I were losing our home and had very little income (Alessandro was in the real estate field and we all know what happened there), I was home with a newborn (Luca) and did what I could on the side to help out. Alessandro was working side jobs as well. We didn't know where our grocery money was going to come from, but God did! For almost 6 months, we recieved annonymous envelopes in the mail with varying amounts of money in them. To this day, we have not been able to figure out who it was who sent us the money, but God knows and I know He is blessing them.

We are in a much better position financially now and are "paying it forward".
Maybe someone is on your heart to give to this Christmas. Don't hesitate...be blessed so you can be a blessing and have a Very Merry Christmas!

I Am Going To Post It Note Your Car!!!

Okay, so back when I was in high school, you either got toilet papered, shoe polished, or egg'd if it was someone who disliked you. Have you ever heard of being Post-it noted??? Me neither, until I woke up to find Hailey's car looking like this:

It took Hailey and her friend Taylor at least 30 minutes to remove all of the post it notes. I thought they would have at least written something on them as to send a message, but every single one was blank. I wonder how long it took the culprits to cover "Coney" the blazer with sticky notes! Good, clean fun like that really makes me laugh! 

Not Keeping Up With The Joneses

This time in our history it is so important that everybody take responsibility for their own household finances. It is time for us to stop looking to the right or to the left, checking out what this person has or what that person gave and live within your means. If I can afford to bless a friend with a somewhat pricey gift, I am not doing it so that they give me an equally as expensive gift. We have learned the hard way that credit is not an option in our home. Cash is King! If the cash isn't there, we don't buy it.

I love to give. Giving gifts is so fulfilling to me! Unfortunately, I have been unable to give as much as I would have liked to, but I know that it will soon come to an end and I will be able to give like I never have been able to before! Alessandro and I have been living Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University for about a year now and it has changed our lives. We have gotten creative when it comes to our dates and we have been humbled in other areas of finances.

If our finances are tied up in debt, then how can we be generous. If all we do is work not just full-time, but overtime in order to make ends meet, then how will we have any time left over to serve our community? We asked ourselves these questions and wondered if things would ever change. We agreed that things were not going to change unless we changed our mindset and behavior.

We shaved our budget and simplified life. We are almost completely debt free and will soon be in a position to give more of our time and money to others. How exciting!

This Christmas, remember that a thoughtful gift means more than an expensive gift, but most importantly, remember the reason for the season...the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Luca's Second Birthday!

In celebration of Luca's birthday, I decided to post a journal entry/letter to Luca that I wrote just after his birth.  

"I  suppose I will just start from the beginning. We found out we were pregnant with you one day in April and we were so excited. I wrapped up a t-shirt that said "Daddy is My Hero" on it and gave it to Daddy. That is how I told him you were coming. He was so excited, jumping up and down all over the room, if you can imagine that!  I loved being pregnant with you. Feeling you move inside of me gave me such comfort. I loved getting acquainted with you while you were still in my womb. I remember you teasing Daddy...I would say to him "Babe, he's kicking!", and he would put his hand on my belly and you would immediately stop moving. Then, one day, Daddy kissed my belly and you punched him right in the lips! You were are playful then as you are now! Labor was long. I won't go into the details because it is all in the Labor Summary from Dena, our doula. I will say that there were moments that I did not think I was going to make it. You were so high and I was dilating so slowly. I had made up my mind that I did not want any augmentation of pain medication for so many reasons. Daddy was my hero during labor. He stood strong and encouraged me. He was right there with me every step of the way without weakening. I am going to try to explain how I felt when I first held you in my arms. I say "try" because it is difficult to put into words all that I felt in my heart. I was holding my son, finally meeting you and exploring your face. You had beautiful, big, dark eyes, and you looked so much like your Daddy. You still do! You had big hands, like my Grandpa Karam, beautiful olive skin and lots of dark hair. You were 8 pounds and 11 ounces, and 21 inches long. Your head was perfectly round…oh, you were so adorably handsome and worth every minute of labor. It was the most incredible feeling and I was so thankful to the Lord, my God for blessing us and entrusting us with you."

We had a small cake and ice cream party for Luca tonight. It was like a whirlwind with the kids there! Most were not of an age where you could plan any activities, so it was just jumping and running around and loud play!  Below are some photos. He loves to have friends come over to play. After opening each gift, he gave hugs and said his thank you's. He is starting to talk more and more, repeating words...time to start censoring and spelling!

Olivia and Luca

Michael

In this photo: Olivia, Luca and Isabella. Isabella made Luca his own special cookie with his name on it!

Luca actually blew out his own candles! So cute. 

 

He enjoyed every taste of icing!

Hailey and Nora with the birthday boy!

In this photo: Luca, Isabella, Olivia, Michael Gowans and Michael Stipp. There were a few other children there, but we couldn't get them to pose for the camera. 

St. Louis

I am still alive! I was so busy getting ready to go on our trip to St. Louis to visit family, then I was so busy on our trip, and I have finally settled back in from our trip! Who knew that it would be so much work traveling with two kids under the age of 2!


Here is a snapshot of what the plane ride was like with Luca...

If you take a look to the right of the photo, you will see Hailey ducking her head in complete embarrassment!




Anyhow, after that experience and the experience on the plane ride back, who knows when we will attempt such a trip again! Nora of course, was just a sweet angel!
On the way back, at one point the flight attendant stopped and asked me if I knew what the problem with Luca was..."maybe his ears are hurting" he said...my emotionless response (at that point I felt numb!) was "frankly, he is just throwing a tantrum..." Fifteen minutes later, he was sleeping and I was thanking God!

We were greeted at the airport by Gino and Linda, Alessandro's brother and sister, and then Alessandro's dad surprised us with a huge Italian feast at his house! That man can cook! We ate too well the entire trip and our waistlines probably show it.

It was freezing in St. Louis! Our thinned out blood is not used to that kind of cold. Luca is not used to wearing so much clothing and he wasn't a fan at first! Here he is with his Uncle Sal...so upset...he looked like Ralphie from the movie A Christmas Story!

Once we got him outside, he was happy as can be playing with his cousins!

 

Nora was all bundled up and passed out while we went for a walk in Sal and Josephine's subdivision.

Alessandro and I stayed in the same room at his dad's house with Luca and Nora. This made for a complicated bedtime routine and lack of sleep. It was interesting with the two kids, to say the least.

Luca and Nora with Nono Alu

This is one of the only pictures I have with Hailey in it. She left early and spent a lot of time doing her make-up work for school.

Nora and Aunt Linda

We also celebrated Luca's 2nd birthday while we were there. He was more interested in his cake than he was in the gifts!

One night, we bundled up and got on a wagon ride to see some Christmas lights. It was so much fun! The kids loved it. Hailey had already gone home to Phoenix, so she missed it. I really missed having her with us.

 

 

Here are all of Luca's cousins from left to right: Noah, Sal Jr., Dominic and you are familiar with the other two!

Our time was not all go, go, go! Hailey and I did manage to sneak away with Josephine for some manicures and pampering with Paula! Alessandro kept the little ones and we indulged! If you live in the St. Louis area, or you are planning on visiting, an appointment with Paula is a must! She is so lively and made sure that every minute of the hour and a half that we had with her was spent being pampered. All three of us were having some kind of wonderful treatment the entire time! She is a one woman outfit and she does it all! A true treasure she is. I need to find one of her here in Phoenix.

Her contact information is:

Seriously, she is an amazing woman!

In Everything Give Thanks

When I think of all that I have to be thankful for, I am overwhelmed by God's grace and goodness. No matter how bad things get in the world around us, I can look at the person sitting next to me, listen to Nora's laughter as she stares at her brother, look at the basil plant thriving by the window, remember all of the people (friends and family) that God has placed in my life, rest sheltered in my house, etc...and remember how very blessed I am. In this last year, we have experienced many, many trials and yet I am thankful I had someone as special as Alessandro to walk through them with. We have lost a home, been jobless, my health has been attacked, and we have faced much discouragement. I will tell you that the discouragement doesn't linger. God can turn a situation to favor you in an instant! We always hold on to that hope. The hope that God will act suddenly on our behalf! I pray that we don't go through difficult times in vain. What is the purpose of experiencing difficulty if you don't learn from it? I am so thankful that both Alessandro and I are learners and we always take something positive out of every experience we have to go through. Good and bad.


So...don't look back in regret, but press forward and learn from everything you have the opportunity to experience.

I got to spend the majority of the day at home decorating for Christmas. Traditionally this happens the day after Thanksgiving in our family, but Alessandro had to work this year, so Thanksgiving Day it was! Luca felt so special as he "helped" his daddy outside with the lights. He loves to spend time with Alessandro doing "man" stuff outside.

We had Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her in-laws. They are so kind and always open their home to us for every holiday when we are unable to travel to Texas or St. Louis in order to see our families. It is so nice to spend time with the Enyarts. They are such wonderful people.

Uncle Lance and Auntie Keturah gave Luca his birthday present early because they won't be able to come to his birthday party in December. He is going to have so much fun with his new fort! I remember as a kid we would make our forts by tying sheets to chairs and draping them around tables.

John Deere

The look on Luca's face was priceless when in the midst of riding his John Deere Tractor Toy, it snaps in half resulting in his bottom on the concrete. Poor little guy! I guess I know what he's getting for Christmas!

I know that the post about Nicole's wedding has already been published, but a friend of mine just sent me this picture and I had to share. I just adore this outfit on Nora!

Nicole's Wedding

Last night we went to our friend Nicole's wedding. She and her new husband Chris were stunning and the ceremony was beautiful. They were joined at the altar by his two teenage children. Chris was widowed and God brought Nicole to him and his kids.  If you read my post on Single Moms and Single Men, it compliments this one. I think God is always thinking about the children. I am so happy for Nicole as I know that she has waited faithfully for the right man to come along and sweep her off her feet!

One of the few pictures Alessandro and I have together since having kids!!!

Me and my friends Nancy, Nicole and Julie. Nancy traveled all the way from Belleville, Illinois to be a part of the celebration.

Sweet Nora all bundled up. The reception was outdoors so it was a bit chilly, but so beautiful. We brought Nora with us but left Luca at home with Hailey.

Single Moms and Single Men

What do I know about single moms? Well, I was a single mom for 12 years, so I know quite a bit. For years I struggled with the idea that I was undesirable to any man who was going to be worth having because I came with "baggage". I thought that if a man had a choice between marrying me along with  a child that wasn't his or marrying a girl without children or the baggage that comes with single parent homes, he certainly wouldn't choose me! I will tell you that I agonized over this! I didn't come up with this notion on my own, there were people in my life who expressed this to me and I adopted the thought process into my own life. Then, one day, the Lord ministered to me that Hailey was going to be a tremendous blessing to whomever her stepfather was going to be because children are a blessing from the Lord. He also ministered to me that it was because of Hailey that He was going to give me someone great. If any of you know my husband, you know that God fulfilled the promise he put in my heart.
Did you know that one of the most humble, loving men in history was Joseph? You know, Joseph the carpenter, the husband of Mary, mother of God? Do you realize that Mary was a single mother? She was. She was a young, teenage, single mom who loved God. Joseph married her, adopted her son, Jesus and raised him as his own. Mary, the most blessed of women, was a single mom. Think about that.

A call to men, don't overlook the single moms around you. They are amazing in more ways than one. Let Joseph be an example to you. For a more in-depth look at this piece of history, watch this video sermon from Mark Driscoll. I wish I had heard it as a struggling, single mom. How it would have encouraged me! Share this with single men and single moms everywhere.   
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke/jesus-birth-prophesied

The sermon is an hour long and for some reason I was unable to download the clip, so the part I want to make sure you see begins at minute 55:00. Fast forward to that and listen to the end. God is good and He has a future and a hope for you.