Sweet Baby Henry

Well, our sweet baby Henry caught his first cold a week ago. It was so sad because he had the saddest little cough, and on top of that his daddy had to be gone to the USA. So just momma and Henry. Here in Mexico the pediatrician's give you their personal cell phone number so you can call and get their opinion and not have to travel to the doctors.. Which is so nice..... So Henry got over his little cold and his Daddy is back and he is doing well.

Andy and I and Henry are getting ready to move into a house that is 6 houses down from this one.. This will be the first time in over 2 years that we will be using all of our own furniture. I am so excited, how we will be getting this furniture back is a question. But I am not even thinking about that now....

Lastly, Here is our 5.5 month old baby. Time is flying and I miss my sweet newborn baby. He is becoming big, and I am loving every new milestone, but it is sort of bittersweet. Does that make sense? Anyway, look how cute he is....

Learnin from the Ladies

Weekly, I do a Bible Study with the 1st year girls. We have been doing it on women from the Bible, and what we can learn from their lives.
I thought in the car, that maybe I would start posting these bible studies on line for all to read.

This week was ELIZABETH.

Strengths: Trusted God, She was Content with her life.

Her life is found in Luke chapter 1 and 2

Key verse: Luke 1;6 Zacheriah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations.

It is cool to think of Elizabeth today, because she is very much still relevant.
How many of us can say that we are content with our lives they way they are.
I know that I struggle with this on many occasions, I tend to look at others and think they have it all. When really I HAVE IT ALL. God has blessed me and i have so much that I should be content..

Elizabeth was content with her life, even though through her story you see she was wanting a child and for many years had no children. I believe she was like it is okay. God is still good. i will continue to follow his commands. And then in her old age God blessed her with a child, John the Baptist. She believed that GOD would do it, even when probably everyone around her doubted..I think she is a perfect example of being happy with her life just the way it was. Didn't need anymore or any less.

The opposite of contentment is discontentment, and I sort of think Jealousy too.
Think in your life are you Discontent or not happy with how it is.
Do you constantly think that it would be better if this happened or that or if I had this or that?
Maybe the lesson we can learn from Elizabeth is too not be discontent, and just be happy with the gifts and blessings you have been given now.

Take a minute and ponder your blessings. God has blessed many in so many ways and yet I still have times of discontentment, I get jealous and just lose sight of the fact that I should be happy and enjoy right now and what I have right now.


Anyway, this was this weeks Bible Study on Elizabeth. One lady we can learn from.

My Chubby Pumpkin

This are pictures of Henry's first Halloweeny...

He was 2 characters this holiday.

Whinnie the Pooh Bear and a chubby Pumpkin.

Andy thought he was cutest as POOH, and I thought he was cutest as a PUMPKIN.

I dressed up as a Nurse. {I know, How original!}

And had the letters BOOK on his face.. He was Face-Book.. {Got the idea from The Office}.

Anyway, We had a great day of celebrating with a Harvest Party. Enjoying lots of sweets, and just having a fun time.

Funny side note: We had trick or treaters come to our house for candy and I had nothing to give, so I instead gave the only thing I had a lot of, which was Boxes of Jell-O. That my friend Mary Campbell sent down with her husband Bill, for us. I am sure all the kids loved that treat. :)

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...