We received the call early Tuesday morning that Jason's Grandfather had made his entrance into eternity. What a bittersweet day it was yesterday. Jay and I reminisced and talked about Grandpa. Its hard to be this far removed from the grief that is centered in Tucson. But I just wanted to take a second and remember Grandpa Pete...
Grandpa was what every Grandpa should be...fun-loving, full of laughter, always ready for a hug, quick with words of advice or wisdom and loved his Jesus. Grandpa had more random pieces of information than I could keep up with...how he remembered all that is beyond me! He welcomed every new "in-law" into the family right away and accepted them as a Jimenez from the start.
There are so many things to remember about Grandpa...but I think on the top of the list is how he LOVED his family. Jason and his brothers grew up living next to Grandma and Grandpa most of their lives. He always took the time to invest into his grandkids and they have those treasured memories even now.
I love you, Grandpa Pete, and I am envious of your amazing adventure in glory! But we will join you someday...
We have officially listed our house as of last week. There are several reasons we are trying to move and now we will just wait and see if the Lord blesses us with a buyer.
But since Jason has been out of town in Arizona, we've not had anyone to cut the grass...and with all the rain that we had last week it just grew right up to our ankles. Well, we got a phone call and someone wanted to come see the house...grass and all! So, I took it upon myself to haul the mower out and try and figure out modern machinery on my own. :-) Now you know, if mowing the lawn had gone smoothly I would NOT be blogging about it...obviously it did not.
Thankfully, my son, Tyler (who is only five years old) took care of the prep work! He showed me where to put the bag, how to turn the mower on, how to get it to move (those things are HEAVY) and then of course, he helped push. Without him, I would have been researching mowers and how they work on the Internet most of the afternoon!
Once we got started it was fairly easy, aside from how hard it was to push this huge thing up and down the hill. Granted, my lines weren't as perfect and symmetrical as Jason's are normally...but the grass was getting shorter.
I thought I was getting into a rhythm when all of a sudden grass started shooting out from all directions and being the novice that I am...I did NOT turn the mower off right away but just held onto the handle and watched the grass flying all around. Tyler was yelling at me to "let go, MOM!" (He's questioning the intelligence of his mom at this point) Obviously to anyone but me, the bag had gotten too full and I should have emptied it.
After we emptied the bag and cleaned up the whirlwind of grass...we were back in action. I really only had two strips left to cut when the mower just stopped. It wouldn't start up again...it wouldn't even "cough" to let me know it was trying to start. I panicked...should I call Jason and let him know I broke the mower? Should I lamely try and "fix" it on my own? That's when my son stepped in and saved the day...once again! He looked up at me and said..."Mom, its just out of gas!" Duh! Of course it was!!!
So we gassed it up, finished the last couple of strips and began to put it all away. And then something wonderful happened. One of my neighbors was walking past and I looked up to say hi...and she stopped and said:
"Your yard looks absolutely beautiful!"
Ahhh...it was worth it! But, I think from now on...no matter how tall the grass is...I'll just leave it to Jason and Tyler to cut!
My Hero!!!!
When you move away from family you always run the risk of receiving that phone call in the middle of the night or early morning. That call came this morning...
Jason's grandpa has been in the hospital this last week for several different concerns. He has had congestive heart failure for awhile and also has some kidney issues. He came down with bronchitis last week and this complicated some of his other health problems. We were told he was in the hospital but stabilized and looking okay.
Early this morning we received a phone call from Jay's dad that Grandpa had not done well over the night and we needed to make arrangements to get Jay out there as soon as possible! So we scrambled around the house packing suitcases, calling airlines, and waking up the kids...
Its a hard place to be...living two thousand miles away from those that are closest to you. Knowing you could miss some of the most imporant occasions and the most heart-wrenching ones. Thankfully, no matter how far away we move...the Lord is gracious to follow us with His peace and His presence. Please continue to pray for Jason's family throughout this weekend and into the week.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I had a doctor's appointment this morning...and I am no longer placenta previa!!!! I wanted to jump off the table and kiss the ultrasound tech!!! (I have had about ten ultrasounds since December so we know each other pretty well! :-) The placenta has moved off my cervix and is now considered low-lying but no longer at risk. The doctor will continue to monitor it but I am in the clear and loving life!!!! Thanks for ALL of your prayers...I have tears running down my cheeks right now with gratitude to all my friends and sweet family for being so diligent to pray. THANK YOU!!!! Praise the Lord!!!
PS Baby Jimenez is looking large (with a very prominent Jimenez nose) and very healthy!!!
I have officially been titled, "Blog Slacker", from some of my friends and family. Yes, I have been pretty lazy about updating my blog. Its not for lack of "blog-worthy" happenings in our life...but probably just a lack of energy on my part. To get the camera out and actually document the events takes more energy than I can give out. :-) Then to get the camera upstairs to the computer...
Okay, I know...lots of excuses! I will try and be more consistent at keeping up to date info on here. To pacify those who have relentlessly pestered me, here are some pictures from the last snow day (as I sit here in shorts and a t-shirt) which happened to be LAST week!!!
Tyler likes to just slide down the hill on his belly!!!
Amy working on the snowman...
Snowman finished!!!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,
Bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103:1-5
Throughout my entire life there have been times that unmistakeably God has moved. Situations that could not be explained other than His provision, His intercession, or His touch of healing. And yet, today...here and now...I struggle with simple petitions and a lack of trust. Why is it that I forget so easily ALL that He has done up till this very moment? Not even just in my life but in those around me...and throughout history! Scripture tells us to "forget none of His benefits"...we are called to remember what He has done and what He is CAPABLE of doing.
When we sit down to watch a movie...we don't pause it halfway through and study the picture on the TV. We allow the story to play out and watch it until the credits roll. I find myself studying the picture on the screen at the present time. Analyzing it from every angle...trying to figure out what good could possibly come from it...and then discouraged, I give up on the whole movie! Thankfully, God does not measure our lives by time...He sees the beginning from the end. He knows that this snapshot of my life will play an intricate part in the person I am in glory. I must REMEMBER all His benefits and wait for Him to satisfy me with His good things!
This pregnancy has been full of ups and downs and a few surprises. I have complete placenta previa and so the doctor has had me in for ultrasounds every few weeks to monitor me. This last Friday I had another ultrasound scheduled to check to see if the placenta had moved. Unfortunately, it had not. But we were hopeful that the tech would be able to tell what the gender of the baby was. So, we all squeezed into the little room and watched...
The kids were definitely NOT impressed. When I told them they were going to "see" the baby...they thought that meant OUTSIDE of my tummy. Hm...it was quite the disappointment to see a black blob on a fuzzy screen.
But the tech was able to see what we are having...and it is a BOY!!! Yes, the Jimenez gene overpowers once again! It is very rare to have a girl in the Jimenez family...Amy will be the only princess! And so, there will be one more Jimenez "brotha" joining the ranks! :-)
We have come off a weekend of arguing, tattle tailing, and just basic sibling unpleasantness. I don't know if it was me being irritable, or the weather, or simply time for it...but the kids have NOT been getting along. Thankfully, today was a much needed respite!!!
This morning Amy wasn't feeling that great. She has been lying around and we are waiting to see what happens next (pukies?).
I came upstairs to get ready (basically...out of my pajamas and into some sweat pants! :-) and Amy went to lay on her bed. When I came out of my room after changing my clothes, etc...I saw Tyler sitting on the floor next to Amy's bed and "reading" her some books. He was rubbing her back and showing her the pictures in the book. What a sweet, sweet brother!!! Hopefully this sensitive side will win through more often! :-)
My wonderful parents had the lovely idea of getting the kids harmonicas while they were here. Isn't that great!? Yep, so we have a constant musical soundtrack in our house that just puts me at ease and makes me feel so peaceful and relaxed! :-) The kids have asked me several times to "just sing, Mom, while I'm playing". Hm, unfortunately, I'm not able to follow along very well and so they have given up on their mother and started their own "band"!
THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!! (Just remember that if we visit Tucson...the harmonicas come too!)
What is the fancy word for ice cream sundae? Parfaits! And who would know that? Fancy Nancy!
We had a Fancy Nancy birthday party for Amy's fourth birthday! She had several little friends come over and had quite the glamour party. We put on makeup, boas, tiaras, nail polish...and then sat around and admired everyone!
Two of the girls from the youth group came to help out and put on makeup. The two little boys at the party (Tyler and his friend Stephen) were supposed to go upstairs and play with "boy" stuff...but of course, they were FASCINATED with all the bling bling! They kept asking if they could get their nails painted, etc. (Jason loved that!)
All of the girls got to pick out a little pocketbook and decorate it with sequins, hearts, and trim.
Amy's Poppie (my dad) sat the fancy girls down and then read the Fancy Nancy book to all of them. Then we had super fancy parfaits...I'm not sure how much ice cream was actually underneath all the sprinkles, whip cream, cherries, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Needless to say, they had plenty of sugar!!!
It was definitely a fun party and there are still feathers floating around my house from all the boas! :-)
Amy had her birthday party last Saturday (her birthday was actually on Sunday) and I have been waiting for pictures from my parents so I could post them. But I let the whole week go by...and decided to just celebrate Amy, in all her glory, over the last four years!!! My little princess...how she's grown...
Who can know the mind of God? Who can foresee how He will take a near tragedy and turn it into a miracle?
This past Wednesday night, on the way home from youth group, one of our seniors was in a very serious car accident. Jason received the call while he was still driving home and immediately went to the hospital. Apparently, the student hydroplaned, flipped his car, and hit a tree. Thankfully, another one of our students was on his way home as well and was driving right behind him when it happened. The scene was pretty gruesome and it looked fatal. The car was in a tight little ball and the paramedics had to work awhile to get him out.
Of course, with modern technology, the news spread fast. Our phone was ringing like crazy and everyone in the youth group was very very scared!!! The last we all heard...before getting to the hospital...was that the student was completely unresponsive and bleeding pretty bad.
But like I said, God worked a miracle. The accident was two days ago and amazingly enough...he was discharged from the hospital this afternoon. He has several scratches, a couple of bruised (if not broken) ribs and a very sore back. But he is alive...and dreaming about his next car!!!
Why does God choose to save some but allow others to come home to Him? Why did this student escape basically unscathed? Does it really matter if we pray or not? God's will is ultimately accomplished...so does it change anything?
These are the questions that the youth are facing now. There is a tangible relief amongst everyone...but a new appreciation for God's sovereignty!!!
Thank you to those who knew and were praying. Please continue to pray for these students as they work through these different concepts and questions!
My parents have been here this week for Amy's birthday. For one of her presents...they took all of us to Monkey Joe's, which is a huge indoor inflatable playground. Jason and my dad took turns jumping, climbing, and playing with the kids. Thankfully, I was allowed to sit out this time...just soaking in the fun from the bench!
It snowed!!! It's been several days and the snow has melted away and our little snowman has finally left us...but I wanted to post some pictures of our fun day. Jason had just as much fun as the kids did (maybe more because I didn't make him wear plastic bags over his shoes like the kids! :-)
We saved the snow angels till last...
Since we have been back from Tucson, Tyler and Amy have taken on new characters in their make-believe fun. Being around their many cousins introduced them to some new faces in the fantasy world.
This past week they were trying to "out-do" each other in their pretend fighting. It wasn't going so well for Amy so this is how the conversation went:
Amy: Oh yeah, well I'm going to call Spiderman.
Tyler: Oh yeah, well I'm going to call
black Spiderman
Amy: Oh yeah, well I'm going to call Batman
Tyler: Oh yeah, well I'm going to call the mean Joker
Amy was stumped on this one. She thought about it for a minute...went off to the corner and pretended to get on the phone. Then said, "Hello, Jesus?" That did it...game over!
They have never seen any of those characters before...they've only heard about them from other people. They have also never
seen Jesus...but He is more real to them than any of those super heroes.
Soon after this little show down Amy went upstairs and came downstairs walking regally into the room dressed like...
Can you figure out who she is?
I was tagged by my friend, Jenny, to do a photo meme. I had to go to her blog to truly understand what I was supposed to do. Here were the rules:
*Open your photos, choose the 6th folder and then the 6th photo in that folder.
*Post the photo with a description about it and tag 6 friends to do the same
Here's the picture
This is a picture of my wonderful Dad holding Amy a few hours after she was born. I remember so clearly that day...especially now that I'm anticipating hospital rooms, epidurals, antiseptic smells, and cranky nurses. Time seems to fly by but when you stop and look at a picture it all comes rushing back. My dad is amazing and completely doted on Amy (still does). I have so many pictures of him holding her and looking down at her with complete adoration. He is the best grampie and the best dad. I love you, Dad!!! Okay, I don't have that many friends that blog...but I tag: Johnna, Kim, Erin, & Allison
Can't wait to see your pictures, girls!!! :-)
I am sitting here laughing at my newest fashion faux pas...its called "in-between-pregnancy-clothes"! I am at that stage in my pregnancy where my regular clothes don't fit and my maternity clothes are too big. So today I am going more for comfort than fashion....warmth more than style.
We are staying at home all day today and just doing chores and hanging out. So, I opted for warm comfy clothes and its not a pretty picture. Whatever fit today (no matter the color) is my choice outfit! There are only two pairs of jeans that fit and a few nice shirts. I will save those for days when I actually see people older than five! Please do not stop by unannounced to see this new fad...I will not be stepping out to Harris Teeter for just one item...and there will be no web cam conversations today! :-)
Hidden in the book of II Chronicles chapter 20 is a story filled with inspiring truth and a convicting challenge. In my devotions this morning, I spent quite a long time just sitting...reading the chapter over again. I'm sure I've read the passage before...but this morning it actually hit home and found its way into my heart!
The story is about King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. The Moabites and the Ammonites had set out to conquer the kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat's first response was to seek the Lord and asked that all the cities of Judah seek the Lord and fast. Every single person stood before the Lord and sought His answer...even down to the wives and the little children. (vs. 13)
The Spirit of the Lord came upon the prophet Jahaziel and gave this answer, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!" (vs. 17) The Lord asked them to do the easiest...and yet also the hardest thing...be still. Jehoshaphat responded to this by bowing and worshiping the Lord. The next morning Jehoshaphat reminded them to believe in the Lord and His promise. He also gave them something to "do" while standing still, he told them to sing to the Lord and praise the beauty of His holiness! Wow! What a leader!
When God asks us to "be still", we kick and squirm and think of so many different ways the situation could turn out. We offer our advice, our alternatives, our plan B...but that is not what God wants. Salvation and sanctification are not accomplished through our efforts. Rather, when we are still and focused on the beauty of His holiness...that is when the work begins, in our hearts and in our lives.
We just got back last night from the winter conference with the youth group. We took about seventy high school kids and there were about fifty junior high students that went. We loaded up three huge buses and went up to the Smokey Mountains for three days.
It was AWESOME!!! The conference is held every winter in Gatlinburg and several other locations. The speakers were Josh McDowell, Tony Nolan, Ergun Caner, and Johnny Hunt. The bands included Third Day, Newsong, Relient K, Barlow Girl and the worship band Unhindered. It was an amazing conference.
I was a little hesitant about going on this trip as I have not been feeling the greatest. I knew there would be a lot of walking and standing (and knowing that the majority of the students were girls - I knew there would be some "drama" on the trip as well! :-) But through different circumstances God made it clear that I was supposed to go. Thankfully, my nausea was kept at bay for the most part...and only crept up several times on the trip.
It was such a blessing to spend so much time with so many of our students. And it is always very interesting when you take them out of the "church" environment to watch how they interact, worship, grow, etc. It was a very fruitful trip and I am so very very blessed to have been a part of it!There were about five thousand students from surrounding states that attended the conference...so, needless to say it was a little crazy in Gatlinburg. But we only had one hospital run, one student loose her money, several pranks on Jason and even some on me, and zero students lost!!! That is a huge praise!
God definitely kept His hand on our youth group. I am praying for all of our students as they return to school this coming week and back to reality that the seeds planted and the decisions made these last few days will take root and grow. Its easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment and stand boldly for the Lord...in front of thousands of other believers. But now is where the true test begins...the fiery furnace of our ungodly world and its influence!
This Christmas was our first Christmas with just our little family. It was a bittersweet time! We missed all of our family back in Tucson but we enjoyed the precious time with our sweet kids.
Christmas Eve we went to church for the candlelight service. Tyler was a shepherd in the nativity scene and took his role very seriously. We tried to video him...but like I said, he took his role so seriously that he did not look out into the audience once...only worshipped baby Jesus in the manger!
We went out to eat for Christmas Eve dinner and I really enjoyed the fact I didn't have to cook! :-) We had to wake the kids up on Christmas morning because Jason was too excited to let them sleep in! He wanted to open presents...well, I think he wanted them to open their presents! It was a fun day and very relaxing...the first Christmas we have spent the entire day in one location! It was good for me since I'm still struggling with morning sickness. But it also allowed us to spend time reflecting and rejoicing over the birth of our Savior and Lord. We lit the last advent candle and let it burn all day to celebrate Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord, for sending your only Son to be that light in our dark world!!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well!
