We Keep On Growing!

This summer has been by far one of the best summers in a while. Even though its still been a summer of transition, its also been a summer of adventures and exploring, relaxing, and just enjoying each other's company. We have also been growing (as a family and on a personal level). 

We are soaking in all that it means to be a family of three, because in five or so weeks this will be no more. I am over the moon about meeting my little boy, but I find myself being more intentional about enjoying one-on-one time with Little Mama. 

I think we can all sense the winds of change, because Little Mama has been extra needy. 

She clings to me and throws fits like never before; I think she can sense Mama is tired and Tiny Mr. M. is getting ready to steal some of the spotlight. She needn't worry, there is enough attention to go around. We've talked to her about her brother, and while I have no idea if she gets it, sometimes she comes up to my belly and gives it a kiss while saying her brother's name. I'm taking this as the beginning of a wonderful friendship. 

Mr. M. and I have also been trying to be more intentional about our relationship. It was so easy to be just the two of us; running around from here to there on a whim, enjoying random dates or long chats at the local coffee shop. It goes without saying that becoming a parent changes these dynamics, and one has to try harder to fit these things in. 

One part of our being more intentional is our decision to become the "youth leaders" at our church. This happened about 3 months ago, and while it might seem a bit counterintuitive that one more activity dedicated to giving our time to others would bring us closer together, it really has. We meet the youth every other week and do some study/reflection time for a couple hours; we involve ourselves in their spiritual and mental development, and all the while Mr. M. and I deepen our relationship with each other and our Creator. Its been an amazing experience. Through intentional time of study in the Bible, long chats about core values, what we believe community means, and some fighting about important and not so important details we have come closer in our love for one another. Through time reflecting about where we believe the youth are headed in their relationship with our Maker and their community Mr. M. and I have come to appreciate and understand each other a bit more every week. 

My little family is growing. Soon enough we will be a family of four!

Its all very exciting, and I just know that Tiny Mr. M. will be a perfect fit. He will push us to a new limit, change our hearts and we will wonder how we ever lived without him.

Here is to the next five weeks going by as quickly as they should!

BTW these photos where taken by me (on my remote controlled shutter release camera mounted on a tripod and by my little sister Lori Garcia). They are amazing! 

Seeking the American Dream

The summer is well under way, and we have been so busy around these parts. Enjoying the sunshine, concerts at the park, camping, leading youth group, digging our feet into the sand, and at the very beginning of the summer attending graduations. My younger sister graduated from Oregon State University. To many this accomplishment is a big deal, but to me this is a HUGE deal. 

In 1991 we moved to the United States from Mexico. We moved for the same reasons many people immigrate to this country: to seek a better life. A better life means different things to different people. To my parents it meant proving us with safe housing and being able to feed us and clothe us. They weren't looking to get rich, to live this amazing "american" dream. They just wanted us to be together, to be safe and healthy.  

As it happens my sisters and I grew up, we developed our own dreams and hopes. We adapted to life in this country, but we also kept many of the values our parents passed on to us. 

Part of our personal development involved higher education. All three of us now have a Bachelor's degree, and while we each may have slightly different reasons for pursuing a degree, I am confident there are underlying similarities. We understand the sacrifices our elders have made to bring us to this country, we understand the importance of making a positive impact in our world and we want to provide our own families a better life. 

My sister is now a college graduate. She faced much adversity to get to this point, for reasons of personal choice but also because we are in fact the first generation to go to college. We had no one to set a path before us, we had to carve it out on our own. 

And in the past few years I have seen her flourish into an amazing person, into a woman of character, into a dedicated student, into a charing mother.  

She has become an example to her daughter and to the people around her. She has embraced this part of the "american dream" and I am confident that she will make our world a better place.

And while a college degree is a great accomplishment its not just the certificate and the potential job opportunities that matter the most. I've learned that higher education is so significant in opening up our minds and giving us a perspective to what our place in this universe really is. It helps us understand how much we are a part of a bigger story, that it is our responsibility to reach out to those who are less privileged, to those who are in need. It helps us see that we are responsible to make this "American Dream" really mean something.    

But to achieve all of this significant life changing stuff you need to be a little silly. So here is a little silliness for y'all!

Tiny Mr. M.

I've been staying home mostly full-time with Little Mama since she was born. I've loved almost every minute of it, but it has been very challenging. Currently I'm working a part-time gig at a community agency that provides early childhood education. I work in the administrative office as an Admin. Assistant. Its been fun to employ my mind in things that don't have to do with a tiny tot all the time, but I can't help feeling a longing to be with Little Mama. I can't imagine working full time, and I've always known that this part-time job was a temporary arrangement. The goal is for me to be a full-time stay at home mama, and it appears that come the end of this month my wishes will come true. 

For one, Little Mama needs her mami to be home with her and the second reason: This Mama is expecting a Tiny Mr. M.! Due date is somewhere around the third week of September. 

Our plan was for me to stop working at the end of June, and enjoy the last two months of being a parent to only one child before the second graces us with his presence. But our agency gave me an unexpected surprise when it was announced that there would be a major restructuring and they would be shutting down our office. Bam! Instant stay at home status :) Love it! 

Don't get me wrong, it's going to be a bit of a stretch financially, but I'm confident that everything will work out well. If nothing, being financially stretched will help us be better spenders! (at least that's my hope, people! But I have been wrong in the past so we will see how it all pans out).

So this Tiny Mr. M. is gonna join us in Septemeber, and we couldn't be more excited. 

I've been taking a few weekly belly update photos, enjoy:

I am beyond the moon that I get to be a mama to both a girl and a boy. I've already been looking for creative little boy outfit inspiration. The last thing I want my little mr. to be wearing is t-shirt and sweats all the time. Its going to be hard to resist some of the cuteness I've found lately.

So a new adventure begins! Oh, its gonna be a fun one :)

Little Mama turns 2!

A few weeks ago Little Mama turned 2! As we came closer to the day, I proclaimed to anyone who would listen that I was so over planning a big party for a little munchkin who would have no personal memory of the event. But if you know me even a little bit, you know that I LOVE to plan things, especially parties. Which I have to admit is kind of strange, being that I'm a total introvert and very much dislike large groups of people where I have to mingle and pretend I'm not completely awkward. 
So here we were a few months near the big day and I was knee deep in rainbow colored pompom garlands, pin wheel decorations and my personal favorite a look-alike doll and outfit for Little Mama. Halfway through the preparations I wondered why many mothers do this when their kids won't even remember. Its silly really, but I'm not going to lie its so much fun for me. So I guess that's my answer, its because I enjoy the process :)

The big day came and we were pretty much ready; the sun was shining and the grill was ready. There is no party that can happen at our house without the grill and a good Carne Asada.

 

Oh, and let me not forget the bounce house. I told Mr. M. he was in charge of the activities for the kids and he quickly announced he was going to rent a bounce house. 

I was a bit mortified, as I've frequently joked about how silly they are, but decided I'd just go along with it. The kids loved it of course, and I didn't mind the whole neighborhood thinking there was a carnival happening at our house. 

 It was a very fun day, despite the 25mph wind gusts; a day of spending time with friends, enjoying delicious food, partaking in two cakes, and lots of snacks. 

The kids bounced till their hearts were content (or at least most did. Little Mama was so sad when they took the bouncy house away, she almost cried. After all the kids left, she even got both her grandpas and Mr. M. to bounce with her for an hour or so. Let me tell you, the kid slept through the night for the first time in a while, and I'm sure the men did too. 

I'm not going to deny that throwing this kind of party makes me feel like we are spoiling Little Mama a bit. It makes me think that she will grow up to be a little brat who thinks she is entitled to whatever her little heart desires. This may or may not happen, but not because of a party once a year. Its about the lifestyle we live.

I've been thinking of all the ways I can model the intanbigles I want her to grow up storing in her heart. Like having the ability to see her privilege and being called to a life of giving (love and all the material things she has accessable to her). We try throughout the year to show her ways to love others and are starting traditions during important dates (like Christmas and Easter) to help her and ourselves look beyond our own wants to see the real needs of others. I think the culture of self-indulgence that is so prevalent in our society (and in humanity to be perfectly honest) scares me more than I can describe, but at the same time I know that living in fear of Little Mama becoming someone completely selfish is not healthy. 

      

I know that if we all look to our Creator for a deeper purpose and sense of belonging we will all grow up to be a positive part of our world. I have hope for this little person because I know our Maker will always surround her with Truth and Love.

Happy Birthday Little Mama! You are our most incredible gift, and we love you to the end of time. You are a determined and adventurous little person, who I know will grow up to be incredible, caring, and a sunbeam to this world. Because to tell you the truth, you are already all of these things and more.

Oh, thank you!

I found this on a blog I often read:

 Under The Sycamore  

It was a hard day for me today! While I am immensely thankful for a day where i can be intentional about celebrating this amazing thing Jesus did, I still felt overwhelmed by the commercialization of Easter and how many buy into it. I'm not trying to be overly religious or judgmental, but my heart aches to see people yearn for healthy lives, healthy relationships and a realization that what our souls need most is a connection to our Maker. Everything else is secondary, especially bunnies, chocolate and eggs. 

We are running around filling a void in our lives with romantic relationships, material things, drugs and alcohol, exercise, dieting only to come up short or even empty handed. Chained to something we think is gonna make us happy, but in the end what we need is to accept we need our Maker. We need that relationship. I am certainly glad Jesus made a way for me to quit trying to find my worth in all these things that the world has to offer. I'm here in this planet for hopefully a while longer, so I'm gonna give in to this hope I have in Jesus. This hope that tells me I don't have to settle for finding my worth in things that are temporary. Instead I'm gonna find hope in our Creator. 

Expectations: 2012, lets get real 2013!

I've been reading so many "Happy New Year" blog post, I think I have them coming out my ears. And because I'm a very goal oriented person I've LOVED to hear/read about what other's are hoping to accomplish in the new year. My personal hope was to soak it all in and spare you my own list, but here I am about to spill my inner most desires. 
But before we get there let me share with you 2012; it was a year of surprises, unexpected decisions, hardship, sorrow, and new beginnings. So there you go, in a nutshell that was my year. Ok, ok, since you're twisting my arm, I'll elaborate.  

The year began pretty much like any other year: on January 1! We spent the eve with our dear friends the Chung-Otterson, much like we have the last couple of years. Watching movies, eating yummy food and sharing a bit of what we hoped the year would hold. But in a few months our expectations of 2012 shifted in a dramatic way as we realized our priority was not to the rat race of making ends-meet but of having a richer family experience. And what I mean by that was we wanted to spend more time as a family and less time at work chained to the "man". So we packed up our things half way through the year and moved to a desolate town in Central WA. Friendships were tested, and only the lifers stood the test distance held. Mr. M. started looking for work in a slower paced environment and I got busy with the task of making home more cozy. 
After only one month of trying to settle we almost lost Mr. M's mother to an Aneurysm. The following two months seem a bit of a haze to tell you the truth. Isolation, loneliness and so much unknown. But in the midst of it all of this many dear friends and family rose to the challenge of being God's love to us, we grew the strength to help my in-laws navigate the hardship and find endurance for ourselves to keep on pushing forth. Mr. M. received his Bachelor's degree and we celebrated all the holidays surrounded by our family and a few friends. 

We even tried to make Tamales for our Christmas Eve dinner, which let me tell you, were a huge colossal fail! 

And the year ended with a three day celebration with our friends the Chung-Otterson.

So you ask, what are my goals for 2013? Well they are to expect less from others and more from God. That's right, my desire is to see the world a bit more through the eyes of our Maker and less through my own. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on my 29 before 30 list, I still want to eat something green every day, exercise frequently and drink more water, but what I want most is to feed my soul. To earnestly seek after our Creator so that I may be a sunbeam to a hurting world. I'm starting by trying to connect with our Maker through as many ways as possible. By investing more time in other Jesus-followers, reading the Love story our Creator shared with humankind (aka the Bible), praying more, and being more available for those around me. My hope is that we'd stop making resolutions that last a week or two and instead embrace a lifestyle of healthy choices all year round.

Thanks for reading this very wordy installments and Happy New Year!