because LOVE is a lifestyle

Wednesday

because love is a lifestyle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:00:21 +0000

I have a new little project I’ve been doing every Wednesday. It’s in a favorite little community of mine, called Las Aves. In the ministry where we work we have a clothing room where we store donated clothes, blankets and other household items. It was getting a little too full, so I decided to start making an effort to give some if it away. So for the past 3 Wednesdays I have filled bags of clothing for families. Thankfully I have help. Last week a couple of friends (Moms like me! Yeah for Moms) and all our kids went out. Every week we take down the names, ages and sizes of a few different household. The following week we prepare clothes bags for each one of them and bring them out to them. Then we start again with new families. I am enjoying getting to know different families in the community. Something small to help people who really need it. It’s also a great way to get our kids involved in giving to others in need. I am already looking forward to next Wednesday!

Simple = Great

because love is a lifestyle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:47 +0000

Last weekend was one of the best ones I have had in a long time. It involved the beach. This boy coming for the weekend. And fun with friends. It was the perfect combination of rest and fun. It’s the simple things that make life great, isn’t it?

Love Him

because love is a lifestyle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:42:37 +0000

Me: Kayden do you want to come on a trip to me on the States tomorrow?

Kayden: Yes! Can we go to Disneyland?

Me: Sorry, buddy, not this time.

Kayden: How about McDonald’s?

Me: Deal

Kayden: Thanks Mom

I love him.

We’re going to pick up some visitors. So glad McDonald’s qualifies as a replacement for Disneyland.

Simple = Great

because love is a lifestyle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:01:10 +0000

Family Photo Shoot – Part 2

because love is a lifestyle — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:50 +0000

I thought I would share a few more pics from our family photo shoot a few weeks ago….

Thanks again to my friend Claudine, she did such a great job!

More Laundry Entertainment…

because love is a lifestyle — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:00:01 +0000

Caught some more cute photo’s of my kids entertaining themselves (and me) as I hung laundry the other day. Every one of them makes me smile. Aren’t kids so fun to watch? They have no idea how cute they are! I love them!

Have a good weekend!

Preparing for Rain

because love is a lifestyle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:17 +0000

Thanks for all your well wishes and encouragement. We are so happy to have Gloria with us. Now seems to be good time to give you an update on Moi. If you have been reading this blog for a while now, then you know about Moises. The boy we were trying to adopt. Unfortunately, due to a law concerning age difference, we were not able to. On top of that, even though we’ve known him since he was a baby and we live just down the street, the orphanage would not allow us to visit him any more. We were so heartbroken. When asked about the situation and if their was anything we could do, I often said ” The only way we can have him is if his family takes him out of the orphanage and gives him to us” To be honest, it seemed more than unlikely that would happen. But we trusted God to work it out… and He is. Much to our surprise, the week before Christmas he was taken out of the orphanage and returned with his biological family. He has lived his entire life at the orphanage and was finally returned to them. Like most kids at the orphanage, he is not really an orphan, his family was simply not able to take care of him. We’ve been in contact with them, as we had already built a good relationship with them over the past couple of years. They are very open to us being involved in his life, and even have hinted of him living with us in the future. We know God is working. Moi came and spent Christmas day with us and I asked him how he liked being “home” and he said “Well, it’s ok, but at least see you guys now.” I believe that it’ s only a matter of time before Moi comes home to us. We may never have a legal document that says he is ours, but he knows he is loved and wanted in our family. If God want Him to be with us, he will be. I have no doubts.

In the movie “Facing the Giants” (great movie, rent it if you haven’t seen it) the following is said:

“I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain… And both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?

” Well, the one who prepared his fields for it”

“God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

I believe my son will be home soon. I’m getting his room ready. I’m preparing for rain.

(photo taken by Claudine Chaussé Bélanger, isn’t she an amazing photographer! Check out her tumblr page!)

From 4 to 5

because love is a lifestyle — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:00:54 +0000

I was 19, she was 9. She told me she never wanted to go home again.

She was afraid.

It was not safe.

I promised her she wouldn’t have too.

One day she would come home with me.

I may have been young, but I meant it.

Fast forward 10 years and I find myself driving down a road I’ve been down a thousand times.

But today is different.

Today I’m not visiting Gloria at the orphanage.

Today I’m picking her up.

Today she’s coming home.

Now we are 5.

Alone

because love is a lifestyle — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:00:28 +0000

I have always loved being alone. I grew up with 3 younger and very loud brothers. Our house was always very busy. Most of time I loved it but being alone was a novelty. Now that I am a Mom, being alone is an even more rare occurrence, and so much more needed. Thanks to my wonderful husband I got to have a day for myself this past weekend. Boy did I need it. I couldn’t remember the last time such a thing had happened… a whole day just for me, yippee! I started off with sleeping in, then after a quick shower and breakfast headed out with a few of my favorite things….

More important, what I didn’t bring… (ignore messy stale pretzels on seat)

I headed to do a little shopping. No malls anywhere near here, so off to globos (market) I went to dig through mountains of clothes, looking for something good. Bliss.I definitely had success. Got myself my favorite “fast food” lunch… a chimichanga and my favorite juice “horchata”

Then I headed to the beach! Where I took off my boots, and enjoyed the whole beach to myself! Didn’t stay very long, as it occurred to me it probably wasn’t the safest place for a (white) girl to be all alone… but I did stay long enough to run in the sand, get my feet wet and just sit soaking it all in! I finished my day in a local coffee shop, sipping a chai latte, enjoying the extra time with my laptop and pinterest. Sigh.

Good day… Recharged and ready to jump back into my life again.

Good thing. When I got home there were 8 visitors (making us a total of 12, 7 of them kids), as friends from Canada had just arrived and came for supper. Love how fun a full house can be too. There’s a time for everything, right?

Laughter and Laundry

because love is a lifestyle — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:25 +0000

Like most Mom’s I have to do a load of laundry every day. to keep up with it. Electricity is expensive here, so we can not use a clothes dryer. That said, I spend a lot of time outside hanging up and taking down clothes from the line outside. It’s not my favorite thing to do, but I choose to see the good in it. The kids are usually with me. Sometimes I feel like a mother hen with her little chicks who are always close behind her. Where I go, they go, so we do laundry together. Lately they have really started to interact with each other and play together. I love to watch them be silly, making each other laugh. Listening to their sweet giggles as I go about my work, makes it so much more enjoyable. These kids are certainly worth the work!