Dominique's Words

Well, our stubborn little sweetheart has finally decided to start being a bit more verbal and it is exciting, let me tell you! Now it seems she comes up with a new word or two daily. Here is a little sampling of her new vocabulary, although I couldnt hold her attention long enough to get her to do my favorite: "Aw, man!" Maybe next video. :) You can also see her driving her car up my arm, one of the lady-like games she has learned from her brother.
And, as you can see, Joshua doesnt handle well letting her have the spotlight all by herself! It is a little painful for him to realize that not all things center around him, but I think it may be one of the most important lessons he may learn in life! Anyway, here is the video. :)

Misc Pictures and a Little Update

I just have to say... I LOVE this picture! My sweet little girlie just loves to smell flowers. :) This is in the front garden, which looks better in this picture than in real life. With not feeling good the past couple of months, it has been badly let go! The other day I finally got to pulling some big weeds, thistles and even poison ivy out of there and felt so good about it.... until I stepped back and realized that I hadn't even made a dent! Oh well....





The challenge continues to get them both looking at the same time, but it's okay I guess. Sweet anyway. :)











Me and my darlings.














"Belly Shots"
The first belly shot of this pregnancy, a little while back, this one was at 6.5 weeks ~ just barely popping out, but still a lot for a mere six weeks. I dont know what's wrong with me!














This one was just last night. We had a casserole shower for my friend Tammy who is due in 2 weeks. I am 12 weeks along now, and feeling much better, finally. This week has been the best one yet and I feel hopeful! Yay! Maybe now I can finally get caught back up on all the things I got behind on in the last couple months!!!

Soon we will have reached a final decision about Wales, so I will keep you posted. It has not been an easy decision, let me tell you! I haven't said anything about it lately, because if I had, it would have been something like:
Week 1: Yes! We are going!
Week 2: No, I dont think it will be feasible after all.
Week 3: Well, maybe we will go, but wait until next year.
Week 4: Actually, if we are going, let's just go this year!
Week 5: Wait! I won't have a suitable place to have my baby over there! Let's stay here!
Week 6: Hey, maybe going to Bible school in *South Africa* would be a better option!
Week 7: Maybe South Africa won't be the best for us after all.
Week 8: Let's not go to Bible school and just spend a couple months in Brazil...
Week 9: LORD! What do you want us to do????
Present: Okay, we are at peace no matter what. We need to make a decision by June 15, and I'm sure the Lord will give us clear direction by then.

So, I have saved you the drama of us changing our minds every week, although I'm sure my family thinks we are like waves tossed to and fro in the ocean! There has been a lot involved and a lot to consider, but we are on the verge now of making up our minds, with the Lord's help. So, pray for us please and we will let you know soon!

Pre-Deployment Party for Aaron

Well, last week my brother Aaron came home for his last leave before deployment to Iraq. So, his wife Suzy had a huge party for him at a park near their house and they had a great turnout ~ about 100 people! Most all of Suzy's family came up from Georgia (she is one of 8 children in her family), as well as some out of town family on our side, including Grandma Nita, the star of the last post. :) It was really great to see everyone, including a lot of friends that we don't get to see very often.
I took a ton of pics, but here is just a sampling of the guest of honor, mainly. I also didnt get around to taking many pics until after we got back to their house. First, here is Aaron and his family.



Aaron and Suzy.

















Aaron and Friz.















Aaron gave Suzy this Kimber for a combined Mother's Day/ birthday gift to keep her company while he is gone. This model is called "Desert Warrior". (oops, I forgot to flip this pic before uploading it...)








My kiddos in camo. We weren't the only ones with this idea at the party. :)

It was a fun day, if for a not-so-fun occasion. Aaron gave a little speech before we ate and I don't think there was a dry eye in the place.

May God watch over and protect him while he is away, keep his family safe while he is gone, and bring him home safely!

Happy 80th Birthday, Grandma Nita!

A couple of weekends ago, we got to travel to Macomb, IL to help my Grandma Nita celebrate her 80th birthday party! With my mom and both of my brothers' families going, we made quite the intrusion, but it was a good time. Grandma knew we were coming, but didnt know that we had planned a party for her the following afternoon, so that part was a surprise! "A good time was had by all."





Mom and Grandma Nita (her mother-in-law)














My dad's cousin, Grandma, Aunt Sue (my dad's sister) and Uncle Joe, and Mom at the party.














Grandma Nita and her husband of four years, Mr. Moon.











Finally a picture of all four of us! Dominique was sleepy, but at least she was looking... and Fabio and I even were color coordinated!

I have a bunch more pics I would like to post, but they just take too long to upload. If I wait until I have time to upload them all, I may never post this. So, here is a sampling for now. :)

It's A Girl !!

I have just had the privilege of attending another one of my friend's births! Tina and I have been friends since I was about nine years old, and she recently decided to have a homebirth and asked if I could be there. Of course I could! She called me Sunday evening and I was on my way (with my kids!) to Anderson, IN, about 3 hours away. We got in about midnight, IN time, and I got the kids situated in bed and got busy attending Tina.

She had a bit of a rough time toward the end, but did beautifully giving birth to a precious little girl, 9lbs 8oz and 21 inches long. She was born at 4:43am, and we were so thankful that all the kids were sleeping! We had all been praying for a middle of the night birth. They named her Elariah Essence.





A few moments after birth, Elariah gets a kiss from Mommy.












Proud Daddy Jason was also a great labor support! Here he is with Elariah just about five minutes after the birth. (He caught her.)















All cleaned up ~ about 12 hours old.


She has been such a good baby, sleeping most of the day and nursing like a pro!
I think she got more rest than the rest of us! By the time we had cleaned everything up, the kids were all awake, so we didnt get a wink of sleep. It was the first time I've pulled an all nighter in years! (And the first time I've ever done it pregnant!)






Tina is one busy mama! Here are her four children and my two. Hers are 2.5 year old twin boys (Zeal and Ephrem), a 15 month old little boy(Cael), and now their first girl. Four kids in two and a half years! The boys are having a little bit of a rough time adjusting, but I'm sure they will all survive and learn to love little Elariah.






Here we are about 24 hours after the birth, all feeling a little more rested. Tina is doing great and recovering well. It was really awesome to get to be with her for this special time.










Well, I still have a bunch of other pics to post, but I wanted to get these up while they were still fresh! More to come, maybe a little more frequently now that I am feeling a little better. :)

Videos from the Wedding (finally!)

Joshua and Dominique had such a blast dancing together at the wedding reception!



Dominique enjoyed Daddy twirling her around alot more than I do! It makes me dizzy, but she loved it! If you look in the background, you can see the groom busting some funky moves, dancing over to his bride. :)



And, especially for those who know the Maceda family, here is a short clip of the bilingual wedding. I especially liked seeing the groom wipe his bride's tears away so tenderly. It was beautiful!