Marcus Moran 1989-2007

Last night, we were honored to be present at the Eternal Birthday Celebration for my cousin Marcus Moran. Last year, on Feb. 22, 2008, Marcus was finishing his practice scrimmage for the FEAST basketball team when he collapsed on the court. Help was on hand immediately. EMS was at the scene in 10 mins, but he was already gone. He was only 17 years old. We later found that he had a damaged heart. Thank God, he and his family are strong Christians. Marcus lived his life with Christ in his heart. He accepted Jesus on September 11, 2001. He always had scripture written on his basketball shoes. His favorite bible verse, or you can say his "life verse" was Matthew 21:22- If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. His dream was to play ball with the seniors (he was a Junior) on the FEAST basketball team, then go to the college level and maybe even professional. He loved basketball and died playing the game. He was a hardworking boy who wanted to do better with each practice. He is missed greatly.

Rick (my uncle), Grace (my aunt), Sam (cousin), and Anjelica (cousin) have all been leaning on God's strength and peace. They hosted the celebration yesterday, on the court where Marcus died, with smiles, and tears of joy and sadness too. All who were present were able to praise God for His goodness... for always being in control and for giving His children such peace and strength. It was such a testimony to see so many people touched by one young man's life. Also, to see how Rick, Grace, Sam and Anjelica are all looking to God for continued guidance, peace and strength through this time. God was in our midst last night.

Rick (my dad's brother) spoke, with Grace, Sam and Anjelica all by his side. They thanked their family and friends for the continued support and love. They were touched by so many lives that were changed for the better by Marcus' death. They continue to give God glory and praises.

"Drumroll please..." Uncle Rick said.Marcus' number and FEAST team jersey was retired.

(I didn't take good pics because we were far and I couldn't zoom.)

Sleeping Beauty

My Sleeping Beauty is sick. :( She has had a cough since Monday afternoon. She started to have fever non-stop since Tuesday at noon. She is doing relatively well, just doesn't feel good. She has a cough that comes and goes. I hate to see her sick. Just an hour ago, she fell asleep in my arms after eating lunch while I finished watching the News at Noon. It was sweet, but I wanted her to get a good rest, so I put her in her crib. Here she is snoozing. Poor baby has to keep her mouth open alittle to breathe. I just love the way she hugs her puppy, Leah. (Yes, we named her puppy dog Leah, after our first doggie.)

The Cross- a symbol of faith.

Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God.
2 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)
Devotional by Max Lucado:
The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution?...

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no further than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam horizontal--the other vertical. One reaches out--like God's love. The other reaches up--as does God's holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

Wow, I've never thought of the cross like that. Max really knows how to put things into words that touch my heart and stick in my head! I'm so blessed to be able to hear his sermons each week.

Monk E-card

Happy Valentine's Day e-card from Ben! ;)

Bible Class Teacher

Rachel and I were playing Barbies on Tuesday afternoon. We put all her little girl dolls in a semi circle b/c they were at Bible Class. We had the "parents" sit behind them. She was the teacher and here is what she did... She was digging in the basket to get out things (pretend rainbows, ladybugs, anything) to give to the students. She would get them out and put them next to the basket to count them, to be sure she had enough for everybody. She would then "pass" them out to the students. Once everyone was ready, she would sing a song to the class (she was making up the songs). (You will notice that she uses her flashlight as a microphone towards the end!)

Too funny, two movies in 5 seconds.

You've gotta watch these clips, they made me laugh so hard. Ben found them one day on YouTube and I shared them with my brother and best friend and had to share with you all. :) Enjoy!

Princesses & Pirates....

Last weekend, we were honored to be invited to 2, yes 2, birthday parties. One was for Alexis (3), our friend from College Station and the other was for Charlie (4), our friends from church. We were so happy to be thought of for these FUN and MEMORABLE events and RACHEL WAS READY FOR A PARTY! ;)

We didn't make it out to College Station to see Alexis because Ben had 2 school functions that day, so we would not have made it in time for the b-day fun. From looking at the pics on Christi's blog, they had a blast!! :) Rachel would have loved to dress like a princess too! We are sad that we missed this one, but next yr. we'll have to make the trip out to College Station! :)

Rachel and I did make it to Charlie's b-day, though. It was a perfect day in SA for a party. Angie and Chuck (Charlie's parents and our friends) opened their house to pirates of all ages. :) It was so nice. Chuck even had a bandana and nose ring to top it off. They gave all the kids a pirate hat and eye patch along with many goodies in their goody bags. Rachel was the only girl (who was around Charlie's age), but she had a blast! She wanted to do all the stuff the big boys were doing. It was fun to watch her try to interact with the other kids. For the most part she explored all the toys out on the patio (which were so exciting to use).
Angie posted about this on her blog. You can ck it out to see the pics that she uploaded from the party. I will also upload some pics. (I forgot my camera, so when we got home from the party, I took these pics of her with her pirate hat, eye patch and map!) Thanks for having us over, Thier Family! :) Rachel truly enjoyed her first friend b-day party! :) (She's only gone to family b-day parties. )

Rachel can fit in with anyone! I love that about her! She could have played the part of the princess, but she can also do the PIRATE thing! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Click on the Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, that's the song from the Backyardigans where Rachel first learned about Pirates... we always get this song in our heads and sing it in the car (or wherever we arrrrrrrrrrrr). ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, I've not been blogging because:
*my camera is not getting better
*I've been using my laptop instead of my pc (we upload our pics to the pc)
*I am lazy to type out a blog
*the list goes on and on....

I have been so blessed by God. He's so good. We've been blessed with love, joy, peace, good health and the list goes on and on. I am amazed at how God has touched my life in BIG ways and makes His presence know in small ways too.

I am totally blessed with my husband, Ben, and daughter, Rachel. Just to have these two in my life, I'm HAPPY. For this Valentine's Day my wonderful and loving husband brought home a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, a sweet card, and a DVD (Becoming Jane). ** He really didn't have to bring all this because he had already given me a beautiful watch (that I really needed). He picked out just the right one (I had been looking for one that is unique and he picked the perfect one).

For Rachel, Ben bought her a Belle Barbie from the Disney Store and Little Mermaid flip-flops. :) It was too cute. We had watched Beauty and the Beasta few weeks ago and Rachel and Daddy danced along with Belle and the Beast. I cried; just thinking of the first time I watched this dance for the first time when I was in high school. I dreamed of the day when I would dance with my love, but now I am watching my love dance with our daughter. It was a truly memorable moment. Ben really wanted to remember this moment too when he thought of bringing home the Belle doll for his baby girl. ;)
Now he bought the flip-flops b/c he asked me what she NEEDED and I told him she needed sandals. Flip-flops (sold a the Disney Store) were the closest to that, so there you go! ;)

Well, I will be posting some pics soon. I hope I will be using my computer tomorrow and then I can upload the pics. :)

Rachel READS!!!

Tonight I was going to read Rachel 3 books, instead of her usual 1 (we had some extra time to spare). She picked Dora Helps Diego! (we've had this one for about 1 month and we've read it about 30 times), so tonight her first choice was this book. Instead of me reading it, she took over and started to read. I had her do it again so I could tape it. So she doesn't read as articulate when she talks, but she's READING!!! Okay, I know I may be stretching it, but she knows the story in the correct order and she reads the pictures correctly.
Okay, that's enough of that. I'm so excited... Just wanted to share. I will include some pics and possible video soon. :)

What is Rachel saying now?

Well, Rachel is really talking alot. I was getting worried for a few months (last year) that she was going to need help in that area. She was just keeping everything in her mind! ;)
Anyhow, she just says the cutest things. Here are a few examples:

On Wednesday, Rachel was eating her pretzel sticks while in the car. I was driving happily down the road when I hear, " Whoa, this a BIG pretzel stick!"
I was thinking, did she just say that??? I started laughing and she kept saying it!
*The last pretzel stick that was in her bag was a really thick one and she noticed! ;)

On Thursday, she was staying with my mom while I worked. Well, my mom and Rachel were in the bathroom when they both heard a loud noise outside. Rachel looked up at my mom and said, "I heard that too!" (Mom couldn't believe how clearly she told her that!) ;)

She is always saying things that I wonder where she picks them up from.... well, most of the time, it's from US! ;) She even says it in the same tone that we say them! ;) One of the things that she says (that I say all the time) is, "Remember!?" I need to get it on video because it's just like me! ;)

She is so much fun to be with and just uplifts me with her beautiful spirit. I have to tell you about an incident that happened today... we went to eat lunch at Chik-fil-A. It was very crowded, so we went to a small table in the corner and ate. She kept getting off of the chair, so I got her a high chair. We finished and were making our way to the play area. I decided to push her in the high chair and carry the tray with trash and our water to put away. Well, that was just too much to do at once and I bumped her chair into a table and then dropped the water on the floor. The water splashed all over a man's pants and shoes and a little got on the woman that he was sitting with. :( I felt so BAD!!! I tried to help and give them more napkins and all, but the man was SO MAD! He wouldn't look me in my eyes when I was trying to apologize. I looked at the woman and apologized too, she just smiled a small smile and kept looking at the man. I was so humiliated and wanted to cry. I got someone to clean up the water and threw the trash away and rolled the high chair to it's place. Rachel mentioned going to the playplace, but I just said, "We've gotta go, Mommy wants to cry!" (I just wanted out!) She just said, "O-tay."
We go to the car and I couldn't help the tears from falling while I was putting her in her carseat, so she looks at me and kissed my arm. :) Then she said, "Happy mommy!" She can always make me happy with her kisses. I was so ashamed that I let it bother me so much, but I felt SO BAD that the man (especially) wouldn't really accept my apology! OH well, I had to pray after I cried for God to help me get over it and to touch that man's heart in some way. Rachel wanted me to be happy after my cry and kept telling me, "Mommy not sad- Mommy HAPPY!" ;) I told her I was fine and got over it (thanks to God). He's so good to send me Rachel to uplift me in those sad moments.
Just wanted to share some of our day and how God has blessed me with such a wonderful daughter! :) God bless you all! :)

Blessings

I wanted to type this out before I forget. I am so blessed by my Lord. He's so good.

Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to stay at home and providing my husband a job that pays for this. I am able to take care of my family (Ben and Rachel). I am able to do many little things for Ben that I wasn't able to do when I worked. I am able to bond with Rachel one-on-one daily and not have to rush it because I have something else (an outside job) pressuring me. I am able to run my house to the best of my ability. I love my life as a stay at home mom (I can't say that enough).

Thank you GOD:

*healing Rachel so quickly from her allergies a few weeks ago. (She had a very bad runny nose and then congestion that followed. It was GONE the next day with no sign of her being sick- which is not how it usually happens. She only had a chapped area on her lips from wiping her nose.) God is so good. It's the small things that really count!

*protecting Rachel from getting hurt really bad when she tripped over a cord and was headed toward the table (head first), but arched her back in a way that she was just startled and not hurt.

*protecting me from getting a major cut (from a can lid) while washing dishes. I didn't reach in the drain, where the jagged lid was. -The lid was covered with dishwashing bubbles, so if I would have stuck my finger in the drain to clear it, I would have been cut badly.

*helping me feel at peace, even when my mind wants to be worried or in fear.

*giving me rest at night. I'm able to sleep well, even if I wake up in early morning hours. (This was a HUGE problem for me last year around this time.)

*giving Ben many opportunities to get bonuses at school.

*letting me see my flat tire, before I drove it in the rain (with Rachel) to go to the dentist.
**also, for letting my parents be home that morning so that they could help me get my tire fixed, Rachel taken care of, and me to the dentist on time.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New King James Version)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.