Friday, March 31, 2006

Rappin' In the Car

Well, here it is! A first video. :) Fabio turned on a funky station in the car and the kids really got into it! I love to hear Dominique's giggle, and then see her start head banging! hehehe

Monday, March 27, 2006

Yay! Pictures~!



Our Beautiful Little Princess
Dominique Joy


















Joshua and Dominique this morning in their "same and same" boots. ;) We took a walk to Walgreen's to develop our last roll of 35mm film and pick up a gallon of milk. I think I must be out of shape after the winter, because I felt kinda tired after our walk! Good thing spring is on its way and we will be able to get some more exercise....














Dominique and Joshua with cousins Cheyenne and Dillon. They love playing together SO much!














Joshua and Grandma Carol
While I was typing that, Dominique saw the picture and was trying to say "Grandma Carol"! Not very clearly, but some definite "G" and "C" sounds. :)
We were able to stop by Teibel's where Mom works the other night and that was fun! When Joshua was complimented on his Carhartt jacket, he was sure to announce that his mommy bought it for him at the "thrip shop"!!





This isn't really interesting subject matter, but we were just messing around with different camera modes and stuff and I thought this came out pretty good...









I am working on figuring out how to post a video so I can be cool too like my computer savvy friends Bipin and Michelle. :) hehe

We have been keeping busy as usual. Last week my mom and I and the kids took a little trip to visit my Grandma Nita. Her husband of four years has not been feeling well, so we wanted to see him and help Grandma with whatever we could. I don't think we were any help, but it was fun to visit. :)

Dominique is rather crabby today, so I think we might be in for some more teeth..... yay.

And I guess for now, that's all she wrote.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Good News.....

Well, after a long time of waiting, researching and frequently checking at many stores.... we purchased a digital camera tonight!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited??? Now I will be able to post with ease pictures of all sorts, even if we are inside, or we are out and about!

We bought a Fujifilm FinePix Z1, which we have had our eyes on for quite some time and we got a really great deal on it! The price we paid for it was well worth the several months wait to get it.

Two of my favorite features of this model were:
1) 0.01 second shutter release time, meaning the pic gets taken immediately, instead of 5 seconds later when the kids look away and stop smiling.
2) reinforced glass screen and metal body = STRONG. With small children around, you never know what might happen, so I wanted something that would be durable.

Well, it's late and so tomorrow I will probably try to post some pics once the kids are awake and we figure out how to use the camera better. :)

Oh, wait. Fabio just took a picture of me. Maybe I'll try to post it, just for fun. :) Looks like he had it in black and white mode.

Friday, March 17, 2006

PRAY FOR OUR WARRIORS!

Because freedom doesn't come free.....




My brother Scott, the one who isn't a Marine, is an amazingly talented artist. As one means of supporting our Marine brother Aaron, he designed and made this awesome work of art, which he finally finished this week and mounted on the outside of his house. He cut all of these pieces out of wood for the guns, the plaque and the eagle, globe, anchor symbol of the Marines, painted it and weather-proofed it. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, and as a reminder to pray for my brother Aaron, who is being deployed to Iraq this summer, and the thousands of others who are sacrificing to protect and defend the freedom we enjoy in this country.

BECAUSE FREEDOM DOESN'T COME FREE.........
















Artwork by Scott M. Black





























Cpl A.P. Black

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Playing with Cousins



Joshua & Dominique had such a nice time playing with their cousins last Friday, Dillon, Cheyenne and Gabriel..... and they all missed their cousins that are currently in Georgia. :( Joshua talks about them often and we are all looking forward to their return. If you read this, we miss y'all!!!

On an entirely different note, I have found that Aldi brand dishwasher detergent cleans better than any other brand I have tried. I knew you all wanted to know that. ;-)

Another discovery I have made is that I believe

I am actually more of a night person by nature. I have thought all of my life that I wasn't extremely a night or a morning person, but now I realize that I am naturally more of a night person, but I am a morning person by training, out of necessity, and also by preference. I love to stay up late and do stuff, especially once the kids are in bed when I can get things done with such ease... only trouble is I can't get outta bed w/ such ease in the mornin'! In hindsight, even when I was single and worked late, and therefore slept late, I felt yucky. So, the moral of this story is: believe the old addage: "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy and wise!" (Well, I don't know about the wealthy part! :)

That's all for today, folks!

Saturday, March 11, 2006

What a DELICIOUS Day!!!


Wow, it felt like spring today! It was amazingly invigorating! It was up to 70 and sunny. It was quite windy too, but I LOVE the wind as long as it isn't bitterly cold. We opened all the windows and let the house air out and it smells lovely and fresh in here now.

So, we "ate up" this delicious day, that is for sure! We took a walk in this lovely double jogging stroller and went to the park with the kids. They had a blast. I really wish the picture of them in the swing together was a video, because they were laughing hilariously and it was just too cute. I dont think they will fit in there together for much longer, as it is quite a squeeze already, but they just love it.


After naps, we went out to run some errands and get groceries. Once home, we washed the car, played in the water, cleaned out the garage and then I started cleaning out the flower beds. I had been needing to for a long time, but I was partly intimidated and partly lazy! The former pastor's wife was apparently quite the gardner, and I didn't want to mess anything up. All of the flower beds are well arranged with perrenials to bloom in spring, summer and autumn. I didn't know that until we moved in, so it was a beautiful surprise to watch each new thing come up and bloom!

Anyway, I dug in today and starting pulling out overgrowth of ground cover that had taken over part of the sidewalk, and was taking over the yard too! Once I got started I could hardly stop. It felt so good to get some dirt under my fingernails and it sure brought back memories of childhood days and working in the garden with Dad. I didn't have the proper tools, so I went to town with Joshua's toy hoe, and a drywall saw! I still have a lot to do, but I worked until it was too dark to see and it was simply invigorating!

The kids had a blast being outside most of the day. I think an added benefit will be a good

sound sleep tonight! By the time we went in the house, they were drenched from "helping" Daddy wash the car, so we put them right in the tub and scrubbed them down.

It was already nearly 7:00 and we still hadn't eaten, so I went into the kitchen to figure out something quick, when the doorbell rang. It was Daniel, one of the hispanic guys, bringing us still warm, freshly made tamales from his aunt!! Woo Hoo!

We must have worked up quite the appetites, because with a little help from Joshua and Dominqiue, we polished off a dozen in no time flat!

I hear that next week it is supposed to get cold again and snow, but for now I prefer to think spring is on the way, and look at these pictures to prove it!

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Is Spring Coming?



Well, I am going to try to keep some pictures on here, even though the quality probably won't be the greatest for the time being....

It took TWELVE shots to actually get a good one of *both* of them looking nice at the same time!! It can get quite frustrating, and certainly does make me think a digital camera would be worth its weight in gold at such times!

I thought about posting all of the not so great ones, just for effect to see what goes into getting a decent shot, but nah.


Anyway, by the time I did get it, Daddy got home! This is always our favorite time of the day! The kids scream PAPA!!! and go running to the door as soon as they hear the knob. And so do I. ;)

Joshua was happy to have a little snow to play in this week, but I am ready to have spring here! At least my tulips are up to remind me that it really will happen! Getting anxious.

Well, I think the news in the last post will suffice for another while, so I'll keep this post brief. :)

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

What We've Been doing.....

I haven't been very "newsy" lately, so I thought I would post some family news, particularly for out of town family...

Our plans to go Wales to still stand. Woo Hoo! We got the go-ahead last week to purchase our tickets, since we found an amazing fare, so we plan to do that shortly. It is *very* exciting, and definitely a little scary! We would be leaving the middle-ish of September.

My big brother Aaron, the Marine, is in training in NC and will be deported to Iraq this summer. His wife and children are at her family's in GA, and all seem to be well. They will get to spend this coming weekend together and I'm sure they are all certainly looking foward to that! Keep them in your prayers, please.

The Hispanic ministry is "going". Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but always going....
For the past several weeks, I have been having Bible studies at my house in the morning for some ladies, and there have been two that have believed on Jesus for the first time, within the past month or so! All are new in the Lord, and it has been exciting to disciple them and watch them grow. Sometimes only one shows up, and sometimes it's more like six, but so far there has always been someone.
The guys still come around too. There are four that are the most "faithful" and they come at random times throughout the week, usually around dinner time. :-D We enjoying having them, and they are growing too.
Please pray for these people, and us, if the Lord brings them/us to mind.

Last week I also started participating in a Bible study at church by Beth Moore called "Believing God" and it has been *awesome*!! I highly recommend it for anyone looking to really dig into God's Word.

I am also reading through the Bible this year with the kids. It has been great! We usually try to read at meal times, and I stress to them that it is much more important to feed our spirits than our bodies. They actually really get excited about reading the Bible, even through some of the dry sections of Leviticus and Numbers! I was happily surprised, to tell you the truth! Last week we read a chapter in numbers that was listing all of the families of Israel, like "Gad, from the family of the Gadites" and Joshua thought it was just hilarious! Since then, he has been like "I'm Joshua, from the family of the Joshunites, and this is Dominique from the family of the Dominiquinites" etc, etc, with the names of everyone we know. It has become a little family joke. :)

The kids keep growing and keep us on our toes, as you can see from the post below! Other current mishaps include Joshua playing with the lock on the bathroom door and then closing the door (locking it closed). At least Dominique didnt get locked inside! Oh, and Dominique dropping toy coins into the toilet. Then this morning Dominique was right behind a door that Fabio opened (not knowing she was behind it) and she got her big toe under the door. It was red and swollen for a while, but looking much better already.

But other than all of those minor, um... accidents, the kids are doing great and learning and growing more every day. Joshua is reading better all the time, and Dominque is adding words to her vocabulary little by little. (Newest one is "plop":) Let me tell you, they teach us SO much! I am thankful for all we are learning from them, and from the Lord through them.

I will end with one more sweet moment from this morning. Out of the clear blue, Joshua put his hand on my tummy and prayed that God would put a baby in there! hmmmm..... :)