Our trip Home

I know it is picture overload, but it is the best way for me to show you all what went on when we went home.

In a Nut Shell,,, Henry was dedicated.. My Dad, brother, grandparents, cousins, Aunts all got to meet and hold Mr. Henry.

I went and saw Wicked with my Mom and Sissy. It was freezing!!!!!!!!! We had a pumpkin carving contest and Melissa won.

We went to Melanie's Wedding. Henry was one cute groomsmen.

We ate lots of BBQ and loved on our family.

The Evolution of a Mother

Today Henry is 4 months old. Yesterday we went and got his 4 month check-up and immunizations. Henry hates getting shots, not unlike every other baby. The only thing is that he gets a fever and is fussy for about 24 hours after. So, knowing this is what happened the first time and not being prepared for it at all, I decided to do the shots early in the morning and give Tylenol immediately afterwards and then every 4 hours for like 24 hours. Well, suffice it to say, he got a bad fever again, even with the Tylenol. :(

So, I was up a lot of last night. While I was rocking and nursing for what seemed the 10th time that night, I was thinking.....

When does a Mother become a Mother and how?

Is is when she has a baby of her own?

I believe that most little girls if they are lucky enough to have good mothers, were taught at a young age how to care. How to love and be mother like.

I have been so blessed to be brought up by in my mind "The Best Mother"(Direct your eyes to the woman in the coral and pink shirt). My mom taught me all of these lessons, and it also helped that I was 9 when my brother was born. I think even at this age, I had a small Motherly instinct.

My mind goes back to the years when my brother, sister and I were babysat. One time, I remember being at the babysitters with my siblings and I remember Joe crying for what seemed like a long time. I remember going up stairs to pick him up, and the babysitter saying to me" Do Not Pick Him Up! He needs to learn how to sleep on his own". I then preceeded to pick him up and say to her"Umm, I am his sister and he is crying and he wants me!!"

Sorry for the bunny trail story :)

I also have been blessed with a wonderful Mother-in-law who is very loving to me and to Henry.

(Direct your eyes to the woman in blue and white) I have seen her mothering skills in many ways with her own children and her grand-children.

I also have had wonderful grandma's and strong woman who became Mom's who I have admired and learned from.

I think Mothers sacrifice and Love no matter what, even when it is hard.

It is weird for me to think that I am a MOM sometimes. I am Henry's Mom..

I write this part and it in no way takes away the thoughts and feelings of people with out children. But it is so INTENSE the love you have for your baby.. I think it helps you maybe understand a little more the Love that God has for us. We are his children. And I guess I thought I understood what that meant. But then when you have a baby, I feel like I personally got it...

It is a Love that is different than the Love I have for my Husband, and for my Family..

So in conclusion, thank your MOM today.. Maybe your mother has passed away, take this moment to not be sad, but remember the lessons she taught you. And if you are blessed enough to still have your mother, tell HER thanks... Because whether you know it or not, she probably wrestles with the thoughts of if she was raising you correctly and in the best way..

T&T = Tired and Thankful on this Tuesday

Today is Tuesday,

and I am Tired and Thankful on this day.
Tired because Henry has been doing this weird wake-up at 12:45 AM thing.. Which I am Really NOT Loving.
Thankful because I have a very Healthy little Man, who is smiling and getting so close to laughing.
Tired because I am sick of waiting for Henry's Passport which should be here, but it is taking forever to come to our house.. And we are leaving in like 10 days to go to Iowa..So, I have been wanting it like yesterday.
Thankful because I get to go home in 10 days and my dad, brother, sisters-in-laws finally get to see Henry Roo..
Tired because I went for a 5k walk on lots of hills today with a New American friend. I am Tired from this because, yes, it is true I am quite out of shape. I am a shape, just not the shape I want :)
Thankful because I met a new American friend.. Always a plus :)

Lastly I am Thankful that Henry is here with me, that Andy is here with me and that God never forgets me...

Thought for the day: Henry is so cute..

What more can I say?

One year in Mexico

Officially we have been in Mexico a whole year.

It is truly crazy how fast time flies.

I remember coming into to this whole adventure, sort of dreading the length of time it would be.

But to be honest it has gone by so quickly.

A smart person once told me that you should examine the years of your life, by looking back over the last year and checking to see if you have grown closer to the Lord or not.

Have you become a happier person, one who is closer to your loved ones or not.

Have you grown more patient? More forgiving?

I think it is a good process to check ourselves every once in awhile.

Where are you headed this next year?

I feel so blessed to have been here this last year.

It has also been almost a year since I found out I was Prego.

Now we have Henry.

In the last 3 months, it is crazy how much he has grown. It is bittersweet to pack his newborn clothes away. He is growing everyday, and it makes me happy and sad to see the little baby stuff go away...

I can look back and see how Henry has made me more patient and loving.

I pray I can look back over the next year and see how happy, healthy and strong he has become.

Untill next time.

Henry's Happenings

Henry is now officially 3 months old.

He is been quite busy, he has mastered the art of pooping by himself. YEAH!!!

He is looking stylin and proflin in his little shades.

He has started cereal. I started a little early, but he LOVES it.

He has started rolling over, and holds his head up so well.

He has been taking long naps in the morning.

He has been sleeping great through the night.

WE love him so much, and are so glad he is in our lives....

Enjoy the Henry Picture Festival above, and Hasta Luego.

It is Fall YouAll

Well it is September 2, 2009.. Which just so happens to be my brother Joe's 17th Birthday...
Am I bummed I missed yet another Family birthday? The Answer to that is YES!!!
But GOD knows, I know that he knows how much I miss my family and wish I could see them, I know HE KNOWS..
As I write that sentence I also will write that I know that I am supposed to be here for such a time as this.. God has his hand on Andy and Henry and my lives... We are following God's will, and yet it is hard and Good at the same time.
I get to be home with Henry all this first year of his life and see all his changes, and I love this.
I am writing all this because I want to share a little bit about Missions from my standpoint.
I was reading in my bible today and found a sermon that I had written notes on, this sermon was written and told by my Andy... It encouraged me on this day, and I thought it might do the same for you out there.
It is one of my favorites of his and I thought I would share it to all the blog readers out there:

Title: Are you a Mat Carrier?

Mark Chapter 2 verses 1-12

Jesus Heals a Paralytic
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralysed man was lying on.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
7 Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, Why are you thinking these things?
9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . . He said to the paralytic,
11 I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.
12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, We have never seen anything like this!

Basically the question we ask is: Are you a Mat carrier?

The 4 guys in this story were Mat carriers, they put the needs of their friend above their own needs.
Missions is exactly this, putting others above yourself. Carrying them to Jesus. Getting people to Jesus who cannot get to him on their own.
Forget about yourself for awhile.
Try to think about the people in your life, is their anyone you could carry to Jesus?
The cool thing about these men are they left with some eternal changes in their life:

1. Their Faith was stronger, by putting others in front of them, it shows there faith was tested.
verse 5 says Jesus saw THEIR faith.. The faith of the mat carriers.
2. They refused to give up. There was no easy way to get the guy on the mat to Jesus, so they litterally made a whole in the roof.. Would that not have been Crazy to see? When was the last time I was that desperate?

Anywho, this was challenging to me, as the fall is coming and we are starting our ministries up here and I want to have a fresh attitude and perspective..
I think we can all find people in our life who need to be carried everynow and then.. I know I have been one of them.

Chao for now

what is for Dinner???

I have had this blog for about 3 years now and rarely do I feel that I write a blog about a complaint.

The reasons for this are:

1. I am beyond blessed and have absolutely nothing to complain about

2. I have seen some pretty bad circumstances of others and once again have nothing to complain about..

So, this is not a complainy blog, it is complaint blog about myself..

I feel I have the liberty to complain about myself, so here you go..

I hate cooking dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would make 6 cakes, 3 breads, 4 batches of cookies before I would want to make a dinner

I feel as though I am a baker, not a dinner maker.
The reasons for my hatred of dinner making are:

1. I feel I have a limited (5) basic meals that I prepare all the time.

Spagetti, some sort of chicken something, spagetti, shepard's pie, barbeque chicken, spagetti...

2. I start worring about what to make around like 2 pm,, HELLO, who does that?

3. I usually do not like what I make.

4. I usually make a huge mess in the kitchen..

5. I would rather some one else always make it for me..

6. I would rather be eating something my dad has made.. He is a great cook, and I pretty much crave his food everyday.

7. The people on the foodnetwork have all the ingredients, and it is never as easy as they make it look.

So, just thought I would share.

Now, off I go to try to make another dinner :)

P.S. I can't end a blog with out a couple pictures of Henry Roo..

Golden Boy

Just a quick update..

August has been sort of quite around here, which is nice and weird at the same time. We are used to being crazy busy, and to go slow has been odd.

But nice, beacause we are getting to spend lots of time with little Henry.

Henry is growing quickly, at his 2 month check-up he was close to weighing 13 pounds. He is in the 75th percentile for weight, and 50th percentile for height.

We visited a church of one of the students that we work with about a week ago, and the pastor came up to Andy and I after the service so he could pray for us. He told me that Henry was GOLD IN MY HANDS.. At the time, i just sort of agreed and went on, but really this phrase has stuck in my mind for weeks now. Because it is so true. Henry is gold in my hands.

Becoming a parent has been such a blessing for Andy and I, but there are times where it is really hard. But just thinking about the blessing of his life and the future that is in front of him, how it really is Gold...

Right now is the precious times I have to be with my baby. He is growing so fast, around the corner is his teenage years....

Well that is about all for now..

P.S. The top picture is of him watching his Baby Einstein DVD,, he loves it.. And so do I.. HA

Immunizations

Just wanted to say that Henry is not a fan of immunizations...
Despite being up all night, he is still going strong..
Poor baby....

Happy 2 month birthday to Henry

Today is Henry's 2 month Birthday...

Wow, how time flies by so quickly.

Some cool Henry facts for you:

He loves to eat..

He has been sleeping through the night.

He is trying his hardest to find his thumb, he just can't extend his finger yet.

He is very smily after he wakes up..

On his Mexican Birth Certificate his name is Henry Hanson Reed Reed....

He loves to play baseball with his daddy..

More than that, we love him... And it just seems like the last 2 months have been so hard yet so rewarding.

I am so thankful to have a healthy baby boy...

Henry's Daddy

What I should be doing is sleeping,, what I am doing is updating my blog and eating cookies and cream ice cream....

Anyway, I thought I would post on Andy.

And how amazing he has been with his new little boy. Just shortly after Henry was born I caught him singing Jesus loves me to Henry in the rocking chair.. This made my heart sing, because how blessed am I to have such a husband. Men like this are few and far between.

Andy is so loving with Henry, he likes to play baseball with him and pretend like he is running the bases.

He sings songs to him all the time..

He is extra soft with him and makes sure everyone who touches him, has washed there hands..

Henry loves to lay on his dad's shoulders and Andy tries his hardest to help me at his feeding times..

He is the best daddy..

Someday, Henry might read these blogs and I just hope he knows what a special father he has.
I know, and I am so thankful!!!

Aunt Mish and Henry!

We are mixing it up this week, I am Chelsea's sister, Melissa, and I will be writing the blog this time! A nice change of pace...
This week has been a week of leisure, smiling, pooping troubles, and sisters! (Clarification: Not my pooping troubles...Henry's)
It has been a great week here in Guadalajara, Mexico! I have met all of Chelsea's friends and most say that we either look alike or sound alike. You can decide for yourself by the photo.

I have also met the cutest boy in the world whose name is Henry Hanson Reed. We have just been hanging out and having fun! I have seen my older sister, Chelsea, mold into a beautiful mother and Henry just adores her. He smiles for her and Andy all the time! It is quite amazing how he is only 6 weeks old but recognizes them and loves them so much! I have also realized that it takes a lot of work to take care of a new baby! I have the utmost respect for new mothers and fathers because it is a hard job! For the rest of the blog I thought I would just put up some photos that I have took while I have been here...Enjoy!








This picture is of Henry smiling at his mamma! His bib pretty much explains it all...I love Mommy!













Here is another picture of Henry smiling at his mamma! It kinda looks like he is crying, but that is untrue...he is smiling! Chelsea said that in his 6th week he is supposed to start smiling more and more, and this is so true because he has been!










Here are a couple of pictures from his bath time! He really enjoys his bathes! I think that he likes to be clean and smell baby fresh!
















This is the first time Henry used his big boy bathtub! He LOVED it! Just relazing in the tub with his ducks...I think he was about ready for a nap here because he looks kinda tired.
















This picture was a cute little smile after bath time! Clean baby!

















Chelsea bought Henry a new toy, it is a Baby Einstein ocean gym toy. I think he really enjoys it! It is crazy because he is only 6 weeks old and he grabs the rings, and follows the lights, and kicks his legs! He is going be the smartest boy ever..takin after his father!









The last two photos are of Henry and his Aunt Mish (me) I have been holding him and loving him all week! I am going to miss seeing him, but we have had a great week together!

Vacations

I have been tagged by one of my friends, Missy, to do the following blog. I was supposed to go to my 4th picture folder and choose the 4th picture and describe it for you all. Well, this was the one in that place.

I took the, "View Alcatraz," photo when Andy and I went to California, which happened to be a great vacation for Andy and I. This is a picture in San Francisco right next to Alcatraz. We also went and saw the Redwoods in Northern California and then spent a day in San Francisco. We took this trip with our great friends Bill and Mary Campbell.

So since I LOVE vacations, I thought I would talk a little about the importance of them. Not only will they give you fond memories, but it is a wonderful chance to relax and spend qualitiy time with your family. When I was little my parents must have thought the same thing because we took a vacation every year. I have some of the best memories from those vacations. The nice thing about them were they did not have to be extravagant, just a small trip to get away from the house. We went to a varitey of different places including: Lake Okoboji, South Dakota, Branson, Missouri, Denver, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Minnesota, Chicago, Omaha...and more. Anyway the best part was the memories we made as a family. Andy and I are planning on taking a 'Vaca' every year and I am sure Henry will have the same great memories as I did as a child... ;) HA (let's hope).

To wrap up my vacation expose I thought I would put up some pictures of fun vacations and I will explain a little about each of them. Enjoy!!


This first picture not only shows off our dancing skills and great hair cuts, but it shows my cute parents and how much fun we had when we went to South Carolina.

This is also from South Carolina, and it just proves that we were having 100% fun~! Best face: Joe-G and his braces! And I am pretty sure if I made that face right now there would be a few extra rolls present!

This again is South Carolina, (one of the best vaca's)! Actually this picture may be very familiar to some...and you are probably thinking, "Where have I seen that house?" Well, it was the house from: THE NOTEBOOK. Yes, we took a tour! (Even Joe and Andy, they didn't share the enthusiasm as Mom, Mish, and I). Our friend from SC took us around to all of the different locations where the movie took place, all in beautiful South Carolina! It was kinda cool!

This was from the Redwood Forest, something EVERYONE should go and see. Since it is part of, 'This land was made for you and me!' It is Babe and his Blue Ox!

Now, that you know a little about my vacations...take a moment to do some looking back at vacations you have taken or live vicariously through mine!

The Sweetest Thing

Thought I would update the blog with 2 sweet pictures of my sweet little boy..

Not much new here.

Just wanted to give some kudos:::

First off,

Kudos to all the MOM's out there....

And Kudos to all the MOM's who breast fed there babies...Because AAGGH it might be one of the hardest things, and no one tells you that ahead of time.. Instead of Delivery classes they need to give courses on HOW TO BREAST FEED and not go Crazy...

That is all for now, maybe you can guess what my time is being taken up with......