Insanity, Chaos, & a New Perspective

It's not easy raising little warriors.....can anyone else relate??  Ethan (almost 5) and Marcelo (2) are so FULL of energy it's CRAZY most of the time.  =)  And they currently seem to have a love/hate relationship.  Mostly they love each other...but they play games like "let's push each other and laugh and laugh until someone gets hurt." (Of course that's not what they call the game. I think they actually refer to it as BONK, and they, of course, never "mean" for anyone to get hurt).

They also really like the "let's sing, shout, stomp, and scream to make mom go crazy" game. I was thinking today it is REALLY good we don't live in an apartment.

But then in the midst of it all there are these WONDERFUL PRECIOUS moments that melt my heart.  Like Marcelo ALWAYS saying "thank you mom" whether I give him a cookie, a car to play with, or open a door for him. Or Ethan exclaiming, "Mom, this dinner is GREAT!!!"

Mario and I talk occasionally how when we take time to think about it, we are probably A LOT like our kids in how we act towards our Heavenly Father. I am SO GLAD He has soooooo much more patience that I do!!! I can't imagine how many "time out's" I'd be in.  (Or that maybe I've been in and thought it was all God's fault instead of my own).

Well, nothing like having kids to help us live with a mix of near insanity and gaining a new perspective on our personal relationship with the Lord.  Hmmmm...think that was on purpose??  I do.   =)

Enjoy the last bit of September!!

Michelle

Feeling Amish

Each year I feel a little more and more Amish.  I know that sounds funny, but with waking up at 5am (courtesy of Marcelo), farmer Mario attending to our garden, and my attempting to cook more and more from scratch….it’s the best thing I have to compare how I feel right now.  Even better is that I like it.  =)

Some things in our garden aren’t growing as well as we would like…for instance the tomatoes grow…but don’t want to turn red.  But others seem to produce in very large quantities.  Like the squash and zucchini.  I’ve been blanching and freezing to no end!  Zucchini bread anyone?  Grilled Zucchini? Zucchini fries? How about Zucchini soup, or scrambled eggs mixed with shredded zucchini? 

Really though, our garden has been a huge blessing.  We’ve also got green beans, a couple varieties of lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, onions, and hubbard squash.  Any ideas of what to do with a hubbard squash?  They still have a been longer in the garden to grow…but starting to search our recipes now.  =)

We were also given some wonderful peaches from a family friend, and some apples from our neighbors, so I’ve been canning….and we now have jars of applesauce and peaches ready to eat in the winter!  And lots of wild blackberries too!  Like I said….I’m starting to feel Amish.

As I think about my boys, I think my favorite quote this week was Ethan talking to Marcelo.  We were in the car, and I could see them in the rear view mirror as Ethan leaned over to get a little closer to Marcelo.  Then he said, “Hey, Marcelo, when we grow up, let’s be friends.”  Marcelo’s response, “Ok.” Gotta love it!

Enjoy what little sunshine and good weather we might have left!  It was wonderful to have it return this past week!

Blessings!

Michelle

A New Season

We have definitely entered a new season in our lives...and in many ways it is like a breath of fresh air.  After three long and heavy years, Mario has finished his Masters in Counseling! That means no more commuting to Seattle, no more homework, no more internship--while working full time.  Praise the Lord!  It is wonderful knowing he is coming home for dinner, him having more time to be with the boys, watching him "farm" in our garden, etc.
It also continues to be an adjustment to life without my dad. In so many ways there is a relief that the hardship of caring for him is over.  And yet, I miss him. We miss him.
And this week Ethan started preschool three afternoons a week....and it happens to be during Marcelo's nap time...which means this mom of two VERY active boys gets a chance to take a break!!! Who knows, maybe I'll actually clean my house!  Or enjoy a cup of coffee in silence!  Ahhhh...just thinking about it brings a smile to my face!
Well, I'm off to ensure Ethan eats some lunch before he heads out the door to preschool! Have a great day and weekend everyone!
Michelle

Raising Warriors?

You may ask why I named this blog spot Raising Warriors...but not only do Mario and I hope to raise up our children to be Warriors for the Lord, their names both mean warrior.  Ethan's name means courageous warrior (& Ethan was one of David's mighty men), and Marcelo means little warrior. Pretty funny---since he's not so little.  (He is in the 97% for his age for height, and it is estimated he will be 6 ft 4 in when fully grown!)

As we are on this en devour of raising and training our children (which takes up most of our lives right now), I thought I'd blog about it...so I'd take time to pause and reflect in the midst of this journey, and to share my journey with any of you wanting to hear what's happening in our lives.

So...here's to my first blog!