We've had more craziness!!! Over a week ago my little man was running a moderate fever for about 3-4 days. We weren't real sure what was going on, but we happy when the fever broke! We were ecstatic to have things return to normal...which lasted about 24 hrs. Bobby then woke up with a rash, not bad just not normal for him. We didn't think much of it until the next morning he woke up with red bumps over his ENTIRE body! I ran him into Ted, and said, "this is not normal, right?!?! I'm not seeing things am I?" He reassured me that this was not normal and we needed to find out what was wrong ASAP. We both were thinking chicken pox, and then started thinking, "ok, 3 kids, so what 3 weeks of chicken pox???" Come to find out, my son has the measles!!! Yes, the measles!! Babies are not vaccinated until they are a year old, so he picked it up from some where. When the Dr. was asking if he's had these certain symptoms it was like are you reading my mind??? Yes, ALL of those and then some! My husband said, "Ame, the 1850's called and they want their measles back!" I LOVE that about him, I love his sense of humor! Measles is VERY contagious if you've not had the vaccine, so we haven't been able to take him out for a whole week. He looks so miserable, and I know he feels that way too. He's not eating like his usual self and is sleeping ALL the time. Seriously, today he took a nap from 10am-3pm! We are praying for a quick recovery and we are doing the best we can to keep him comfortable.
The other night I laying down in my husband's lap talking to him! One of my favorite things to do...he rubs my head and reassures me that this to shall pass and we're gonna be ok. Over the course of this year I've realized I'm not as tough as I thought. We've had thing after thing thrown at us. If you were to ask my parents or sister about me, I know they would tell you that I'm one tough cookie. They would say I have a high pain tolerance, hardly get emotional, am quick witted like my dad, and much more. Lately, I haven't felt so tough at all, and you know what??? I'm okay with that! It's been nice to really need my husband for encouragement mentally, physically, and spiritually. It's been nice to not try and do it all like I usually do. There have been some VERY unusual days in my house where there is laundry waiting to be folded, dishes needing to be washed, and the house not spotless. My sweet husband let me sleep in while he fed and dressed all 3 babies and folded laundry. He has been secretly putting my towels in the dryer while I shower and bringing them to me piping hot when I'm done. He has been going above and beyond to take care of me because I have needed that lately! He has been taking such great care of me, and lifting me up in this hard time...hard year really! By him doing all these things, it's given me the extra push to make it through this time. It's helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has made me so thankful to call this man MY HUSBAND! Paul talks about glorying in his infirmities in 2 Cor 12:9, and that's what I'm going to do! That's how I'm going to be tough and hang tough is to glory in these things that the Lord has clearly allowed to happen in my family. I'm going to be thankful for another day to serve Him, and another day to give Him the glory!! I hope you will do the same!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Filled with joy!
Hello everyone! I have like 5 different post I am wanting to do, but for today I want to share something really special with you about my sweet son. Ever since we had our first baby Ted and I have quoted to them FREQUENTLY...as in every day Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." We realize that they didn't comprehend what we were telling them, but we see the bigger picture of desiring them to hide the Word in their heart. We know if we are saying and talking about it all the time, then it WILL be hid in their hearts. We explain to them that when they obey us then they are obeying the Lord. They understand that the Lord is pleased when they choose to obey. Scotty was able to quote the verse by himself by the time he was 18 months, and we are pleased to report that Olivia can now quote it as well. I don't know exactly what age Scotty was when Ted starting spending time with him and teaching him why the Lord has him here on this earth. If you were to walk in my house and say, "Scotty what are we here for?" He would right away say, "To preach the Word of God!" It gives me much joy to hear him say that, and know that from a young age he knows what the Lord desires from him. Ted and Scotty daily ask each other what they learned about in their reading. It's so cool to hear a 4 1/2 year olds perspective on things, such innocence!
Yesterday, our church had the annual picnic at the park. Each person has 1 minute to share a verse that the Lord has laid on their heart over the year. When Ted woke up yesterday he had a HORRIBLE migraine, which is unusual because my husband is hardly ever sick or down with anything. We went to church and he quickly realized that he needed to be home in bed lying very still until the migraine passed. Scotty was SO disappointed because he had been looking forward to going to the park all week. My bestie offered for her family to take him, which I was so happy to be able to focus more on Ted while the other 2 napped. Apparently while everyone was sharing, Scotty decided that he wanted to share something too. Uncle Mike said that was fine and he took Em's bible up with him in front of our whole church. He quoted Eph 6:1 and said the Lord was teaching him to obey. :) Makes me tear up even now thinking of him doing this. He came home and Ted asked him if he did anything special at the park. He VERY excitedly said, "Daddy, I preached the Word of God at church today! I told them about how I'm learning how to obey. Just like I'm here for, I preached today!" Ted and I took one look at each other and we each had tears in our eyes. Happy tears!!! We were filled with joy as we could first hand see the fruit from raising our children according to the Word of God. I still am amazed that my little shy son got up and spoke in front of quite a few people. We have NO excuses! If a 4 year old can comprehend, then we can too!
This encouraged me so much! Remember our children are little sponges and they ARE listening as you speak...make sure it's according to His Word!
Yesterday, our church had the annual picnic at the park. Each person has 1 minute to share a verse that the Lord has laid on their heart over the year. When Ted woke up yesterday he had a HORRIBLE migraine, which is unusual because my husband is hardly ever sick or down with anything. We went to church and he quickly realized that he needed to be home in bed lying very still until the migraine passed. Scotty was SO disappointed because he had been looking forward to going to the park all week. My bestie offered for her family to take him, which I was so happy to be able to focus more on Ted while the other 2 napped. Apparently while everyone was sharing, Scotty decided that he wanted to share something too. Uncle Mike said that was fine and he took Em's bible up with him in front of our whole church. He quoted Eph 6:1 and said the Lord was teaching him to obey. :) Makes me tear up even now thinking of him doing this. He came home and Ted asked him if he did anything special at the park. He VERY excitedly said, "Daddy, I preached the Word of God at church today! I told them about how I'm learning how to obey. Just like I'm here for, I preached today!" Ted and I took one look at each other and we each had tears in our eyes. Happy tears!!! We were filled with joy as we could first hand see the fruit from raising our children according to the Word of God. I still am amazed that my little shy son got up and spoke in front of quite a few people. We have NO excuses! If a 4 year old can comprehend, then we can too!
This encouraged me so much! Remember our children are little sponges and they ARE listening as you speak...make sure it's according to His Word!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Ahhhh....the Rose Garden
Last Friday was Ted's day off...Woo hoo!!! Since we've been back from vacation he's been working really long hours and his days off have been few. Our brother-in-law has a brother who is an amazing photographer, and we've been planning for months to do some family photos. For weeks we've been looking forward to doing this especially since Bobby is changing so much every day! So, Friday was finally here and time for pics! We couldn't decide where we wanted to take our photos and then they mentioned the Rose Garden. Everytime somebody talks about that place it makes me all happy inside. That is Ted's and I's "place." It's the place where his parents got married, it's the place where we would spend many evenings walking and talking about our future, it's the place that he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, it's the place that we fell in love! So, we were pretty excited to take photographs there...
We started out with a Duff family photo including Ted's family. Then we took many more photos of the kids! Ted and I decided that we'd like to have some special pictures taken together. Chris (our photographer) asked us what spot we'd like to take our pics together, and Ted and I immediately said, "how about the spot where Ted proposed!" As we're walking there, Chris is giving us many compliments on our family and Ted and I's relationship, and how happy he is to be able to photograph us FINALLY! We get to our spot and it was like deja vu! The flowers looked EXACTLY the same as it did the day he proposed and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach that I felt that very night. For those next 10 min it was like time stood still. Chris did some creative poses with us and most of them were us gazing into each other's eyes. I kept thinking how blessed I am to be this man's wife, and how blessed I am to be the mother of his children. 7 years later, 3 kids, and madly in love with each other. When my husband looks at me, it's pure love in his eyes. I'm not kidding when I say that he gives me butterflies...frequently! He makes me feel like I'm the prettiest woman in the world, he makes me feel important, and he gives me a confidence that I wish I had years ago. As we stood in this same place I kept thanking the Lord for saving this man for ME! I prayed for years for my future husband and WOW the Lord gave me BETTER that what I was praying for! We hadn't visited "our spot" for quite sometime, but I'm so glad that we did! I'm thankful for that 10 min that we shared where time felt like it did stand still for us. Having 3 kids under the age of 4 is CRAZY! We're always on the go and Ted and I have to really work hard to make sure there is time left in the day for each other. But in that moment, I felt 19 all over again!! Thank you Teddy for being my leader, my best friend, and my true love!
All this to say, I encourage you to take some time and just BE with your spouse. Be with them in the moment without thinking about babies, dishes, laundry, etc. Be in that moment and thank the Lord for ALL He's given to you!
We started out with a Duff family photo including Ted's family. Then we took many more photos of the kids! Ted and I decided that we'd like to have some special pictures taken together. Chris (our photographer) asked us what spot we'd like to take our pics together, and Ted and I immediately said, "how about the spot where Ted proposed!" As we're walking there, Chris is giving us many compliments on our family and Ted and I's relationship, and how happy he is to be able to photograph us FINALLY! We get to our spot and it was like deja vu! The flowers looked EXACTLY the same as it did the day he proposed and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach that I felt that very night. For those next 10 min it was like time stood still. Chris did some creative poses with us and most of them were us gazing into each other's eyes. I kept thinking how blessed I am to be this man's wife, and how blessed I am to be the mother of his children. 7 years later, 3 kids, and madly in love with each other. When my husband looks at me, it's pure love in his eyes. I'm not kidding when I say that he gives me butterflies...frequently! He makes me feel like I'm the prettiest woman in the world, he makes me feel important, and he gives me a confidence that I wish I had years ago. As we stood in this same place I kept thanking the Lord for saving this man for ME! I prayed for years for my future husband and WOW the Lord gave me BETTER that what I was praying for! We hadn't visited "our spot" for quite sometime, but I'm so glad that we did! I'm thankful for that 10 min that we shared where time felt like it did stand still for us. Having 3 kids under the age of 4 is CRAZY! We're always on the go and Ted and I have to really work hard to make sure there is time left in the day for each other. But in that moment, I felt 19 all over again!! Thank you Teddy for being my leader, my best friend, and my true love!
All this to say, I encourage you to take some time and just BE with your spouse. Be with them in the moment without thinking about babies, dishes, laundry, etc. Be in that moment and thank the Lord for ALL He's given to you!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Black Bean Soup
Ok, after a month off I think it's time to get back to my blogging. After my husband posted that sweet post about my triathlon, I think he's even hooked. You may be seeing more posts from him in the future...
My sister, who lives in Guatamela, is looking for some new receipes. I think we can all relate to getting in a "rut" so to speak when it comes to cooking. I wanted to share this receipe with her, and then I thought I should share it will all of you. I found this receipe in one of my Biggest Loser cookbooks. Usually I wouldn't be too excited about a receipe with no meat in it. I was hesistant because I thought we won't get full, and I wasn't so sure my children would like it. When Ted was laid off this was a go to meal a lot because it's so inexpensive to make and YES, you will be satisfied! My children even like it!
1 TBS olive oil
1 lrg chopped onion
1 TBS chopped garlic
28oz can fire roasted tomato (I have used rotel in its place before)
1 TSP cummin
1 TSP chili powder
1 TSP red chili flakes (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans of black beans (you can also use kidney beans, white beans, or chick peas) or 4.5 cups of cooked beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL: 3 cups fresh choppen spinach
Combine in large pot and simmer for 1 hour.
We top ours with some low fat mozz cheese!
It's so yummy! I hope this helps you Sara Beth! Check out her blog here http://fragrantaromaofchrist.blogspot.com/
My sister, who lives in Guatamela, is looking for some new receipes. I think we can all relate to getting in a "rut" so to speak when it comes to cooking. I wanted to share this receipe with her, and then I thought I should share it will all of you. I found this receipe in one of my Biggest Loser cookbooks. Usually I wouldn't be too excited about a receipe with no meat in it. I was hesistant because I thought we won't get full, and I wasn't so sure my children would like it. When Ted was laid off this was a go to meal a lot because it's so inexpensive to make and YES, you will be satisfied! My children even like it!
1 TBS olive oil
1 lrg chopped onion
1 TBS chopped garlic
28oz can fire roasted tomato (I have used rotel in its place before)
1 TSP cummin
1 TSP chili powder
1 TSP red chili flakes (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans of black beans (you can also use kidney beans, white beans, or chick peas) or 4.5 cups of cooked beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL: 3 cups fresh choppen spinach
Combine in large pot and simmer for 1 hour.
We top ours with some low fat mozz cheese!
It's so yummy! I hope this helps you Sara Beth! Check out her blog here http://fragrantaromaofchrist.blogspot.com/
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The TRIATHLETE
So, Amy and I were talking about how we need to update the blog so here I am. I really just wanted to get on here and tell you all how PROUD of her I am, and that she completed her first Sprint Triathlon!!! What an amazing event to witness, and to top it all off she meet a professional triathlete the day before who also was an olympic sliver medalists. But it gets better, while she was in the last portion of her race, the run, Michellie came along side of her and paced her for a minute to give her that extra boost she needed. Not many people came say they have completed a Triathlon, even fewer can say that they have completed in an event WITH a professional athlete along side of you. WAY TO GO AMERS!!! I guess you have set the bar and now I need to be inducted into at least one of those groups.
Love you babe!
Ted
Friday, August 20, 2010
#2
Happy Friday to everyone!!! I know it's been awhile again since my last post, but my goal is to post more often! So, we shall see!
I wanted to give my husband props today! As you know he just started working for Sprint only 2 short months ago, and previously he was in the construction business since I've known him. He was so nervous about the change of career path because as always he wanted to succeed. Well, he sure has!!! He is #2 for top sales at his store! There are about 14 other people working there, so we were SO proud to hear that he's #2! Anyone who knows Ted, knows that this is the perfect job for him...he gets paid to talk to people! :) It was so great seeing him come home this morning after his meeting and seeing his beautiful smile...he is truly happy! I'm so proud of you, Teddy!!! I knew you would be awesome at your new job! We love you so much!
P.s. he has had 3 professional football players come in in the last 2 weeks...isn't that so cool! He got great feedback from all of them!
Have a great and profitable weekend!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Prove it!
Deut 13:3
"Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
I have been getting so much from the Lord in Deut. The Lord really convicted me yet again on my love for Him. This verse is talking about proving just how much we love the Lord. I can say ALL day long that I love the Lord to a million different people, but the words aren't enough. The Lord wants me to prove to Him just how much I love him. Since I've had three kids and since Ted's started a new job, it has become difficult to juggle everything. I'm with the kids 24/7 and without Ted a lot more than I used to be due to his new long hours. I'm having to be diligent about getting in the Word first thing in the morning before our day with a full schedule starts. The Lord keeps asking me, "Amy how much do you love me?" Of course I love the Lord, but do I love him with ALL my heart and soul? Meaning, am I willing to daily sacrifice sleep so that I can get up and be with Him first thing in the morning? If my flesh isn't willing to do that, then I don't love Him with all my heart and soul...see where I'm going? How much are you willing to sacrifice temporally in order to reap so much more eternally?
Saying you love someone isn't enough! Your actions speak louder than words. My father is a man of very few words, and he didn't say 'I love you' every day to us. Even now, I hear it a few times a year...maybe. But, the actions he did told me that he loved me. I never questioned if my dad loved me, I knew by all the things he was physically doing for me. Even as a grown woman he still is helping me physically. I say I love the Lord, and I really do, but what is my testimony projecting? People are always watching, even at times when we think otherwise...what do they see? Do they see that I have an awesome intimate relationship with the Lord or do they view me as just another worldly woman? I want to stand out, and I want to be different because I know what my eternity is going to look like. I don't care if people think I'm crazy, all I care about is pleasing the Lord!
I hope you too take the time to sit and think about how much you love the Lord. Is it will ALL your heart and soul, or only the parts that are convenient for you?
Phil 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
This is my life verse because I love the Lord with ALL my heart and soul and to be with Him is better than anything this world can offer! I look forward to meeting with my Lord face to face. I encourage you to live a life that pleases the Lord. Love Him FIRST, your spouse second, then your children, and I guarantee everything else will fall into place!
"Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
I have been getting so much from the Lord in Deut. The Lord really convicted me yet again on my love for Him. This verse is talking about proving just how much we love the Lord. I can say ALL day long that I love the Lord to a million different people, but the words aren't enough. The Lord wants me to prove to Him just how much I love him. Since I've had three kids and since Ted's started a new job, it has become difficult to juggle everything. I'm with the kids 24/7 and without Ted a lot more than I used to be due to his new long hours. I'm having to be diligent about getting in the Word first thing in the morning before our day with a full schedule starts. The Lord keeps asking me, "Amy how much do you love me?" Of course I love the Lord, but do I love him with ALL my heart and soul? Meaning, am I willing to daily sacrifice sleep so that I can get up and be with Him first thing in the morning? If my flesh isn't willing to do that, then I don't love Him with all my heart and soul...see where I'm going? How much are you willing to sacrifice temporally in order to reap so much more eternally?
Saying you love someone isn't enough! Your actions speak louder than words. My father is a man of very few words, and he didn't say 'I love you' every day to us. Even now, I hear it a few times a year...maybe. But, the actions he did told me that he loved me. I never questioned if my dad loved me, I knew by all the things he was physically doing for me. Even as a grown woman he still is helping me physically. I say I love the Lord, and I really do, but what is my testimony projecting? People are always watching, even at times when we think otherwise...what do they see? Do they see that I have an awesome intimate relationship with the Lord or do they view me as just another worldly woman? I want to stand out, and I want to be different because I know what my eternity is going to look like. I don't care if people think I'm crazy, all I care about is pleasing the Lord!
I hope you too take the time to sit and think about how much you love the Lord. Is it will ALL your heart and soul, or only the parts that are convenient for you?
Phil 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
This is my life verse because I love the Lord with ALL my heart and soul and to be with Him is better than anything this world can offer! I look forward to meeting with my Lord face to face. I encourage you to live a life that pleases the Lord. Love Him FIRST, your spouse second, then your children, and I guarantee everything else will fall into place!
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