Student of the Month 2

Congratulations Timothy! We were so excited to eat delicious breakfast burritos at your school today and sit with your Math Teacher. I had tears in my eyes as your teacher talked about you because it was so nice to hear another adult speak all of the amazing things that you know about your kid out loud. We are so proud of you. You are always our high school student of the month. We love you!

We hope that as you grow your self doubt will disappear and you will know the amazing person that you are!
Be strong, banish fear and doubt. Remember the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Maxaroo

Thursday 2/25/10....Max you are 11 months old today. You weigh 21 pounds. You smile so much and enjoy every moment of the day. You have become very determined over the last month as you learned to walk. Max, you are all boy. You love anything physical and to be in constant motion. You are so eager to find out how things work. Your words are Mama, Dada, katay (Katie), Coco (you think all dogs are called cocos), and Tata for thank you. You are squealing and babbling up a storm. You often say things that are an exact imitation of what we have said. We are so proud of you and so thrilled that you are healthy.

Student of the Month

SO PROUD RIGHT NOW!

Our Timothy has been chosen as student of the month at his HS. He just started school in January. He has had to meet new friends, learn the ways of 6 new teachers and navigate a fairly large urban high school. His grades are good and he is clearly getting noticed for his hard work. One of his teachers nominated him for this honor and we are grateful that he is getting some recognition for being a great 15 year old. We are sure proud of him!

Weekend End

I am just so sad to see this weekend come to an end! I love rainy days and having two of them in a row in Phoenix is a rare treat. Yesterday both Rich and Tim were on outings with various family members. This time allowed Billy and I to enjoy something we have not shared in the last 6 weeks: naptime! We had a relaxing afternoon and for the brief moments that both Katie and Max slept we had a great nap together.

(Working backwards) Friday night we had a fabulous meal at Z-Tejas Grill. We were so excited to go out, just adults with our good friends Kathy & Tim. We realized we had made a major error though in going during lent. From pork to beef, their meat selections are to die for and not having one was sadly disappointing. I guess we really felt the self denial on that one :) However we did have the most delicious margaritas and great company. We finished off the night by watching Valentine's Day, which was cute but just ok :)

Last night Billy and I spent some quality time with our favorite teenager. We played trival pursuit on the Wii until 12:00am, which made us super tired today. We still managed to get alot done though, thank goodness we had that nap yesterday! Yes we are getting old!

Because Life has been hectic we have not all been able to make mass at the same time. Here are some photos of one of the Faby Fam's favorite morning pass time after church. Can you guess what it is? Look Closer...DONUTS!

Show Us Your Life....Ministries

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

Last year our nephews moved with their mom from Arizona to Tennessee. This was a move that we all dreaded because we feared it would not be in the their best interest. Shortly before Christmas we asked if they might be able to spend Christmas with us, and we were blessed that they were going to be able to come! We were so excited when they stepped off that plane! Without "going there" on Christmas eve we got the call that their parents had been arrested and their home would be destroyed. We currently have custody of these remarkable young men, eight and fifteen respectively. We are very grateful their mom had the courage and willingness to allow us to care for them. We love them dearly. We would like this to be their forever home and are working with an attorney to that end. We are working with our pastor and their schools, therapists etc to heal them from all of the hurt that they have suffered. It is a daily struggle, harder then any other challenge we have faced. We pray daily for the strength and courage to move forward and the wisdom to make the best choices possible for these young men. As a mother I am at a constant loss as to how to mother everyone and give everyone what they need. I continue to grow through prayer and the support of our loving extended family.

Another "ministry" of sorts...
This is our Max, born perfectly healthy on our Three year anniversary, March 25, 2009. When we were 24 weeks pregnant with our son Max he was diagnosed with a C-CAM on his right lung. We immediately became a high risk pregancy complete with a dozen specialists and frequent ultra sounds. Our initial concerns were that for his life. We were devasted as we worried about the viability of this little life. However after each and every ultrasound, every two weeks, we had greater hope.We called upon everyone who would listen to lift our unborn baby up in prayer. By the time we were at 34 weeks they believed he would have one working lung. As we prepared for the baby, the doctors prepared us for a child that could be born in respitory distress. With over eighteen doctors attending, Max was born in perfect health. At 9 pounds he was the largest baby in the NICU being tested. We were so very blessed.

He continues to grow in perfect health, however his lung abnormality remains present. He will need surgery in the near future, and we contine to turn him over to the Lord. During this time we met so many other parents via chat sites etc. whose children faced similar or even more grave hardships. Our hearts are so grateful for our blessings, we wanted to reach out to parents in similar circumstance. Recently we have been making dinner one night a month for our local Ronald McDonald House. As I have found in all service, I always get more from the evenings then the families do from our group, but we really enjoy every minute of our time in this extraordinary place.

Thanks for listening/reading!

Eating outside for the first time and loving it!

Perfect Weather!

I have long felt that the later part of Feb and March are the most magnificent months in Phoenix. The morning air is cool and fresh, perfect for a walk. Mid-day it is sunny and gorgeous in the low 70s. I love this time so dearly. It is the only thing that could make up for our oppressive summer. We have been having some great days outside with the two little ones. Here are some pics from our backyard picnic the other day. Katie loves to drive her cool pink coupe. Please excuse the ketchup smile!

We have been terrible about packing a camera this week. We have enjoyed two playdates, one at the park and one at the zoo. Both were such fun! We dearly enjoyed our time with friends. We went to the zoo with our good friends the Pattons...they have a daughter Rich's age and two young ones, similar to us. At the park we met another great match. We had a picnic & park time with friends of ours. I used to work with her and her husband. They have a daughter about 9 months older than Katie, and their son is 2 weeks after Max. Best of all the girls get along great, so it makes it pleasurable for all involved. This was the first time they were both old enough to engage in some dramatic play together. They played the classic baby and mommy and played together beautifully.

I treasure my time with other moms living the good life :) Staying home is not what I dreamed about when I was younger. I mean I always dreamt about staying home with my kids, so in that respect I am living my dream, but it is certainly not at all what I thought it would be. It is far more glorious and far more difficult than I had ever knew! I truly appreciate my time with Kathy & Trish, such a blessing!

Meal Planning Monday

Monday: Penne with veggies & spicy sausage

Tuesday: Turkey (Turkey breast in the crockpot) with sweet potatoes, oatmeal bread, and stuffing

Wednesday: Spinach & Pasta Bake

Thursday: Chili (I do it in the crockpot unlike the recipe mentions)

Friday: Date Night! Left overs for the kids? Kids have chicken nuggets? We'll let Nana decide!

Saturday: Make your own tortilla pizzas (family favorite)

Sunday: Tacos Trying out a new recipe! I usually stick to my packet of seasoning but feel it is time to branch out!

Happy Cooking!

Show us your life Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Ideas!

So excited that I am finally blogging so that I can contribute to Kelly, at Kelly's Korner (love her!) show us your life Fridays...today the topic is Valentine's dates or ideas. We do not have any fabulous ideas to share but we do have some fun traditions. Here is me and my valentine shortly after we started dating in 2004. That year I poured over a homemade valentine for days. He still has it. I still have him, such a keeper!

Our valentine's tradition has always involved staying home! Even when we were first dating it was the one night we would always stay home to avoid the crowds. We refer to it as amateur night :) We usually order take out of some kind and enjoy a romantic night at home. Our first Valentine's Day, I ordered a pizza and had the pizza makers write I love you on it with pepperoni. Since then we have used our meal as a creative outlet to express affection of the special day. We do try to make it an event though, whether it is eating by candle light or a picnic on the carpet. We also add some creativity by placing a spending limit on gifts. The limit has ranged from as low as $5 when we were tight to more extravagant budget of $20. We have exchanged homemade CDs, cards etc. It usually adds to the fun! See this is the type of fun you can have when you just stay home! Here is Katie doing her fashion show as the Valentine entertainment last year!

I think she was a cheerleading waitress :)

Last year, Katie was 22 months and she was very excited about Valentine's day. We began a new family tradition of having a Grandparent Valentine lunch. Last year we had a "red" lunch. Everything we had was red, red meat, red sauce, you get the picture. This year we are having a heart shaped brunch. I have a fabulous heart shaped muffin tin which I will be using to make baby quiches, heart shaped muffins, and although the ham is not exactly heart shaped, it is at least pink! All the kids have been hard at work on their Valentines this week and we are super excited for this meal. Here is Katie and Nanny, last year dancing before lunch.

Love that heart outfit! My generous mom got that for her at Cracker Barrel. It had Raggedy Ann & Andy on it which was a relic of my childhood. Wish it still fit.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Welcome

I have wanted to blog for sometime, but one thing or another always got in the way; time, laziness, procrastination, even a bad attitude. In the beginning I believed blogs to be a bit of an indulgence. Why would someone else want to read the daily goings on of my life? Why should anyone else care what type of lip gloss I enjoy or what shows can't stop watching. Then my life changed. Now as the mother of 4, I feel this blog to be my own sanity. I have never been one to journal. In high school and college I was the kid who would "fake" my own journal entries the night before they were due. I was not alway a procrastinator, but the "interpersonal intelligence" has never been my highest IQ. I much prefer to chat. But my conversations while enjoyable do not keep an account of our life together, and as much as I value the oral tradition, in this generation it seems a bit of a waste. This is a way I can keep a daily or at least weekly account of the comings and goings of my crazy life and the five people I adore most in all the world. Thus this blog will be our daily life, a way for me to remember the nitty gritty. For I believe the small things are the ones that matter most.