BABY CASH the BIG #1!!!

Okay.... so mom (as in me) went a little nuts with her 1st born's 1st Birthday!!

First we celebrated with grandparents, aunt & uncle with a birthday dinner for a traditional birthday cake on Cash's birthday!

Then we had a "Rock & Roll" party last Sunday!!

Cash's 1st Big Music Show! Friends & family came dressed up to celebrate Cash's big day!

I had so much fun.... I think everyone had a blast!!

Baby Cash's new ride!!!

u scream i scream.... Baby Ca$h Screams for Ice Cream

Check out Baby Cash eating his first ice cream cone.... and popsicle...


I didn't mean for him to eat the whole thing... but we couldn't pry either away from him once he got a hold of it... especially the ice cream cone!!

Eric thinks that last photo of him & the ice cream rocks

SHEAR GENIUS!!!

After almost 19 months of being "baby" centered... I decided it was time to update my look. I got a shorter hair cut back in February but decided not to highlight my hair. It's so expensive. So I decided to pass and wait until a later date.

So last week, for some insane reason, since supposely I'm an artist; my husband thought it would be a great idea for me to color/highlight my own hair. He helped me pick out a highlighting/coloring kit at HEB to attempt a mini makeover and we even used a coupon... $14.99... save $2.00 = $12.99 verses... a whooping $60 to $100 for highlights/cut/ wash/ style... etc

Well my sweet friend Julie helped me on Sunday afternoon...

We he colored... and highlighted... my hair.. and highlighted her hair... and her's came out... beautiful and

mine well after the coloring.. it looked great.. then we added in the highlights... and I looked like an skunk with brownish copper hair with ORANGE highlights... what a disaster! not reddish but ORANGE... I'm talking the color of NEMO in Finding Nemo!!

We attempted to fix the highlights.. but didn't leave the highlighting color on long enough... and oranger highlights !

we laughed... sorta of

I left Julie's chuckling to myself... so this is why I shell out $60+ for professional highlights!

I went home and decided to run to CVS to see if I could fix my do... "since I found Nemo... he was swimming in my hair!!"

I went to bed with out fixing it... too tired to think about it.

For some reason God decided to wake me up at 3 in the morning.... my baby woke me up and I nursed him back to sleep and then caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror...

YEP! still nemo hair!

I bought some wash in golden brown color at CVS ... and at 3:30 in the morning attempted to fix my NEMO HAIR ....

well I actually liked the results. redder not as orange, not quite so nemo...

before............................. and now

i didn't take a photo of the nemo hair... but trust me it was BADDDDDDDDDDDD!

I actually had a coworker comment on how she liked my hair and ask where i got it done.

Oh did I have a story to tell....

"Summer is Over... School Has Begun!"

As I embark on my 3rd week.... back to my 10th year in teaching... after taking 3 years off... working at the church... I must say... Summer is over, and school has begun!

God has blessed me this year. I was blessed with a new boss, "that rocks" last September, and once Baby Cash came... I was blessed even more by having the opportunity and the blessing of my boss... to take Cash to work with me since I was "nursing" him.

January '08 through July 2, '08, I worked full time with a baby attached to my hip...
I loved working with kids... and teaching them about Jesus.

I decided to go back into teaching for various reasons... financial, insurance... retirement... etc
But the main reason is because of the schedule... teaching has a great schedule for moms... especially once your kids are of school age.

God blessed me again... by allowing my sister and brother in-law to move back to Corpus... and my sweet baby spends his days with my sweet sister... his aunt..
he does great with her and loves to hang out with her and the puppies... she taught him to say puppy... he says... puuup pu

he takes two naps each day and hangs with dad from about 7 to 9am, since i leave so early...
for school.. I don't feel as though i miss so much since he naps for a total of 4 hours almost everyday at my sister's house... 2 two hour naps.... when i think about it like that... he's only awake about 4 hours (without me)... of the 8 hours i'm away from him...

What a blessing! He can be with family, though!

I am excited to share... that God has blessed me even more... with a great school and staff to work with and teach with.. I have several fellow teachers and staff that I have taught with at a former school that are now with me at my new school.. and I am so blessed to have them...

even moreso.... I am blessed with great class... well two awesome classes
I teach math/science to 4th graders...
and I love it...

God really wired me up to be a teacher... and I'm embracing this.

I miss my baby... but teaching makes me cherish my time with him even more.

I know all you parent's are happily shouting from the rooftops...
"summer is over... school has begun"

But I'm happy (even as a teacher) that school has begun... too
it's already taught me so many lessons...


"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."Psalm 127:3

"Train up a child in the way he should go... and when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6

Let it Go, Let it End... Part 2

It's funny how God moves, speaks to us, grabs us, by our boot straps to get our attention...
It's not funny, ha ha... it's simply intriguing...it's just too COOL!

I began writing my last post on the 15th of August, but didn't post it until yesterday... on LETTING GO! Today as I was sitting in church I was chuckling to myself as I listened to the pastor speak on Letting Go.

Ohhh was I listening... God was speaking to me directly through Pastor Bil.

I definitely know God was speaking to me.... because this has been on my heart for almost 3 weeks now. And usually God gives me 3 confirmation...
#1 my closet (read my last post)
#2 prayer/scripture
#3 Bil's sermon

Do you have a hard time LETTING GO? What get's under your skin?
Do things, people, etc. BUG you?

I loved the analogy Pastor Bil used about flys/gnats/ mosquitos... the 3 & 4 Egyptian plagues... and making it relevant to today... I know things, people, ideas GET under my skin..... so this message is just reinforcing what God has already been trying to get across to me for some time now. (Go here to listen/view the sermon... it should be up by Tuesday it's entitled Principles of God's "Shock & Awe" part 1)

I MUST LEARN TO LET IT END, LET IT GO!!!! I will "Respond to God not React to someone." Willing to forgive even if they don't deserve it.... (Hey God forgave me... and I didn't deserve it)


Pastor Bil also discussed the 2nd plague... the frogs...

I found this so insightful...

I did know that the Egyptians of biblical times worshiped many many gods.... idols. I did not know that a "frog goddess" was one of them. They referred to her as "heqet" or "heket" and she was depicted as a woman with a frog's head, or simply as a frog, there are other depictions... but i'm not going to go into that. The Egyptians worshipped her because they thought frogs represented fertility and resurrection, since there were so many frogs near and around the Nile River. She was the goddess of fertility and childbirth. Frogs were "worshipped" an idol... so God used frogs tons of frogs, millions of frogs...as the second plague... indicating "be careful what you desire or wish for..."

Any way... my point is this...
My husband and I discussed how we have many "FROG goddess/gods" in our lives... and they keep multiplying...

Our number one frog god is: TELEVISION... ouch! Actually when i really think about it... it's technology... TV, video games, cell phones, internet, movies, digital cameras, blackberries, iphones, ipods etc.... do i dare say "blogging"????

I'm allowing all these "frogs" to take over my Home, my Relationships, my HEART, my GOD.

Media keeps multiplying in our lives, just like God used the frogs.. and it's taking over.... we are being INFESTED by the frogman or let's say "TechFrog" he/she's overtaking us.

I don't think there is anything wrong with media/technology...it can help us connect with others, (especially if they are ocean's apart from us) it can allow people to be connected to Christ who may not otherwise hear.... etc....

But when we allow it to CONTROL us... we revolve our lives around it instead of GOD it definitely can become a frog god... taking over and then it makes us sick


just like those frogs... God plagued on Egypt... don't you think they got sick... moreso disgusted.. looking, smelling, living with all those frogs.....

so my friend?

what do you need to LET GO OF? Do you have frog god?

Letting go....

I've discovered this week, I have a very hard time letting go. I mean I'm really, really bad at it! I want to hang on to almost everything.

This revelation hit me this week as I decided to tackle my bedroom closet. I was determined I could accomplish cleaning out my closet in about 2 hours. Wow... was I wrong. I couldn't decide where to start. Most of the clothing in my closet ended up on the floor in this huge heap of tangled hangers, scarfs, hats, sweaters, tops, bottoms, skirts and more. For those of you who really know me... know I have probably just as many scarves & hats as I do clothes.

As I shifted through my mounds of clothing, I seriously set out to "prune" myshelf "self" i mean, closet. But it became increasingly difficult.I thought... "I couldn't possibly part with that t-shirt, it's from my senior year in high school." (Mind you... i graduated from high school in 1992) or I thought..."Of course I can fit in these cute jeans from old navy.... size 4, again, that was only 6 years ago, i just need to focus on exercising & eating right."

So as I was having these conversations with myself when God starting nudging my heart.

I begin reflecting on how not only do I have a challenging time "letting go" of clothes from sixteen years ago... I simply have a hard time letting go.

God revealed to me:

1) I have a hard time letting go of arguements or frustrations... I may have with my husband. I want to be "right" or acknowledged that my view is valid and I desire to be validated. I have a hard time walking away even when my husband is taking the high road and diffuses the conversation so we can revisit it later when we both are calmer.... yet still... I have a hard time letting go.


2) I have a hard time letting go of friendships that I know I need to sever.


3) I have a hard time letting go of paths that God placed me on, for me to discover it actually was a different path He desired for me.


4) I have a hard time letting go of plastic containers....(throwing out in the recycling bin) including yogurt containers with lids, milk jugs, coffe cans etc.... that I can reuse for painting, storing, art projects etc.


5) I have a hard time letting go of my son each morning now that I'm teaching again... but he's in great hands with his daddy and my sister.


6) I have hard time letting go of silly little things that my step daughter does, although they usually aren't a big deal; I simply want so much more for her. I find myself unable to let go and want to turn every situation into a teachable moment.


7) I have a hard time letting go..... but I'm discovering letting go means...
I'm growing.

GO for the GOLD!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24

I love watching the Olympics! I remember watching as a child; and always anticipating that 4th summer to roll around again. So I could watch! I loved how the athletes make it look so effortless. I love the energy and determination the athletes seem to possess during the games. And ohhhhhh that TEAM SPIRIT... the unity... Go Team USA!

The Summer of '96 was an exciting one! I was able to attend the 1996 Olympics in Altanta. My brother lived in Altanta at the time and it was so sweet to get to experience it all first hand and up close! We attended a few events, hung out at Olympic Park and just relished in the upclose history we were witnessing.

So as I watch athletes like Phelps & Torres (wow!), Finch and more (not to mention the men's 400 freestyle relay) go for the GOLD, I'm reminded that I too need to strive for GOLD in my life.

I believe Paul says it best:

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown **(or in modern society a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal) that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. " 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (** I added)

Am I running to win the prize? Or am I simply running aimlessly?

Do I beat my body? Am I disciplined in my relationship with Christ? Do I have a focus? A Gold "goal" in mind?


"But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as GOLD." Job 23:10

I want to come forth as GOLD but I need to go through strict training in Christ... and it's so much easier to stay status quo, to be comfortable. To just compete. But that's not what He calls us to do. He desires us to push the boundaries, to step out on the ledge, to go over and beyond, to push ourselves to break our own "World Record" even by a fingertip if not by a whole body length or 2 or more. To Go for the GOLD... the crown of Life.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

So we can share the GOLD with others... so they too can win the race.

Bridge Bunking

bridge bunking: verb- the act of "settling" in or "standing in".. for a thrill of a lifetime

I was eighteen, and he, he was seventeen when I learned the art of bridge bunking. I could not get enough of him, so I was intrigued by almost anything he purposed to me, even bridge bunking. It’s funny how years later he told me he could only handle “small doses” of me and I, I simply could never quite get enough of him.

It was late spring, May of 1992 and we were graduating soon from High School.
He decided it would be fun to educate this small town, “Baptist” girl in the ways of a thrill seeker. For him bridge bunking was the equivalent of drinking coffee to achieve a caffeine rush. He desired to be stimulated. He craved it. I suppose he still does to this day.

It was dark, not pitch black, but dark. I could feel the twinkle of his eyes upon my skin. Yet he didn’t use his fingertips to touch me. He simply pierced into me with his mysterious eyes. I melted, desiring to be touched ever so slightly by the warmth of his hand against mine as we walked towards the tracks. If only his fingers would brush up against mine.

The train tracks captured the light of the moon, guiding us further down the tracks. Sweetness lingered in the air. The scent reminded me of honeysuckle, but perhaps it was the pureness of our youth I sensed.

It was innocent enough, walking that evening in a small town, towards the train track bridge.

We reached the part of the track were the bridge begun, and I recall looking down at the vast abyss below me. I peered down and saw nothing but rocks, big rocks and at least 50 yards between me and the rocks. He wanted me to climb where? He proceeded to descend down the bridge and wanted to settle and sit up under the bridge. To wait. Yet he assisted me and as I took a deep breath, without looking down I joined him. And we waited for the train to come.

Bunking down under the bridge, under the tracks, under the moonlit sky; waiting for the train to come and shoulders slightly touching.

We were silent, you could hear my heart pounding in my chest, or was that his? He spoke softly, he captivated me and lured me in. I was like a fly caught in his mesmerizing web. He whispered, “Thank you for showing me what love is all about.” Those ten words still ring in my heart, even after sixteen years.

Did I show him what love is all about? About sacrifice, about true bridge bunking?

The true bridge bunker is Christ. He is standing, sitting, kneeling in the gap, the chasm between our world and Heaven. Waiting for us, always waiting. He is the Way! John 14:6 He’s still bunking everyday. Every hour, every second between the world and Heaven slightly caressing my hand and yours urging us towards him to connect us with His father, our Heavenly Father.

It's funny, when I was eighteen I could never get enough of my friend. I always wanted more. More time, more talks, more insight, more adventure, more. Christ desires that from you and me. He can never quite get enough of me or you... and how refreshing that thought is. Not only does someone desire to know the inmost desires of my being, but moreso... He's the one who placed those desires in me, and he still has a longing to know me. He wants to be with us, to inhale us. And He wants us to inhale him.

So, as I reminiscence of a high school love affair between me and youthfulness. I ponder if I was an example of Christ's love and sacrifice to my dear friend. Was this a missed opportunity or did I plant the seed? And how many other chances did I have to plant the seed in others, to share with someone about "bridge bunking" the thrill of a lifetime? The "Way" of a lifetime.

Do you have a "bridge bunking" experience? Literally or metaphorically?

Da da verses Mmmma ma!

So my Little "big" Bundle of Cash has been saying "Da da" for quite some time now. Since about 5months! He began eating solids around 6 mths. Began crawling at 8 months and now at LAST at 9mths, he has started saying Mama mmmmama! I was so excited.

However I've noticed that when he is hungry, tired or simply irritable he says mmmmama mmmama, (especially if he wants me to pick him up and snuggle with him)

BUT when he wants to play and be silly he of course says...what???? That's right Da da!

Isn't that a hoot? Babies seem to know who God designed to comfort & nurture them "best" verses who is "fun"! Don't get me wrong... I'm not implying that Daddy's can't comfort or nurture and Mommy's can't be fun and play, but it seems ( in my house anyway) that dada is the fun, crazy parent and I'm the nurturer and primary caregiver.

I tend to focus more on teaching Cash on how to feed himself, simple signs, play with his toys, read with him and talk to him about various things. Daddy tends to chase him around the house (as he is crawling) play hide n seek and play with his toys (but in a much different way than I do) and make all kind of boy/elephant spitting sounds!

I, of course chase Cash around the house and play, silly play... too, but Cash seems to enjoy it much more with DaDa!

Dada helps with feeding him, simple signing with him, bath time, diaper changing, bedtime, etc but Cash seems to respond better when I'm the one helping him with these things.

It's interesting that even at the young age of 9months he has already determined what he likes and with who!

AHA! New Uses for Old Things

I love reading the magazine Real Simple! It is just so fun!!

One of my favorite sections to read is Solutions/ New Uses for Old Things...

Here are a few of my AHA! Uses:

1) BABY STROLLER:


Original purpose: Transporting Baby to events, outings, and more! Keeps hands free and baby happy!


AHA! Use: While shopping (which 1st time mom hasn't done in a while like 9months or so) it's a great shopping cart for clothes! Your hands are free to shop and you can pile up the clothes so you only have 1 visit to the dressing room. And if your blessed (like me) baby sleeps through most of the shopping!

2) BABY WIPES:

Original Purpose: Wiping up baby poo & other yucky stuff!

AHA! USE: Wiping off paint drips while painting on the wall! Since I love to paint, especially wall murals this is something I discovered that works better than paper towels!

These are a few of the murals I've painted... some on my own some with another artist.

My step daughter's room & Children's Areas in a local church not my church

Baby Cash's Room (of course it's not finished yet)

Or you can go here! Just about everything in the Children's Areas at Bay Area Fellowship I've painted or helped paint!(except the long beach mural & stork) And I was pregnant with Baby Cash at the time!

And I used baby wipes on all those walls! To wipe up paint drips and wipe away mess ups!

3) Panty Liners:

Original Purpose: To protect undergarments from blood stains!

Aha! Use: To protect back of heel from rubbing the back of those CUTE shoes you just had to buy! Which relieves the OUCH! Simply peel and stick! And if you use the scented ones ... it keeps your shoes from smelling stinky!!

I like carefree orginal longs. Simply peel and stick! And as you can see .. you can't see it once you are wearing the shoe!!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR AHA! USES FOR OLD THINGS? PLEASE SHARE!!

Got Mommy's Milk? It's Lifesharing!

I wrote this after reading an article written in babytalk magazine, August 2008, entitled:"other mother's milk: Is Breast still Best when It's not Your Own?" by Stephanie Wood

Let’s think about this for a moment, why are we questioning whether milksharing is right or wrong? It’s lifesharing! Many of us do not hesitate to donate blood for others in our country. According to the American Red Cross someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. There is no substitute. It saves lives. Many of us don’t donate blood, but we don’t question whether or not this is the “right thing to do” because we know it is. We know donated blood saves lives.

Why is human milk any different from blood?

Questioning whether milksharing, or donating milk is appropriate or not is simply depriving others of life. Depriving our youngest, most innocent, most dependent, the next generation of life, is simply against our design. As a Christian and first time mom I am a strong believer in giving life. Jesus is the Ultimate Life giver, of course, of Eternal Life. He not only offered His BLOOD, He sacrificed His Life for us so that we could have eternal life with Him. Ponder the analogy here, Blood=Life (according to the Red Cross), Christ’s Blood=Eternal Life (John 3:16); breastmilk = best nutrition and best life (physically for both baby & mom), God’s word: Holy Bible = best nutrition, best spiritual life (John 1:1-14 & John 6:53-58 ) . Wow!

God has blessed women as Life givers to the human race. We give birth, and we nourish life! Our milk, which God in His infinite wisdom purposely designed in our bodies to produce once we have given birth, is a life giver! He placed it within us to provide for others, the most fragile of others. He designed it perfectly as He has created all things. It’s the perfect temperature, it is the most complete form of nutrition for infants, and studies show infants that are breastfed or consume breast milk score higher on IQ test, especially if the baby is born premature. Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses which in turn decrease doctor’s visits and medical issues, including medical bills.

I was determined to breastfeed my son. I knew it was best. I thought this going to be easy, God designed my body to provide nourishment for my son. I was wrong. It wasn’t easy. It was painstaking, sleep depriving and quite simply HARD WORK. Yet after 4 weeks, 4 extremely long, torturous “sacrificial” weeks of pumping non-stop after each breastfeeding attempt, sore nipples and tired peepers, it paid off. My son figured out his perfect latch and could suck! Now he is a healthy, strong 9 month old. He has only ran a fever twice in these first nine months, and although the first weeks were challenging, and he lost a full pound and had to be poked for blood work, it was worth it!


Honestly I haven’t really given much thought about sharing my breastmilk with other moms. Not until I came across an article in BabyTalk magazine, August 2008, “Other’s mother’s milk” “Is breast milk still best when it’s not your own?” written by Stephanie Wood

My reply is simple, “Is blood still best when it’s not your own?” And I’m guessing the majority of the population would agree “YES it is… it’s life saving”… and I would say mommy’s milk is life giving, and life saving even if it’s not your own!!

My own mom, who breastfed four children in the late 60’s and throughout the 70’s , donated milk. While breastfeeding me pumped her breastmilk for a little baby boy who was unable to digest formula (and she didn’t have the fancy electric pumps we have today, she used a hand pump.)

So it’s my turn to discover how I can share my breastmilk to help another… to be a life giver, giving like Christ, sacrificial giving for other infants in need.

My 1st attempt at breastfeeding The struggle here at almost 4 wks! Don't I look sleep deprived? And Now, at 9 months!!

Please share your thoughts with me!

The Amateur Chef

My husband is the chef in our house. He absolutely loves to create delicious food. He can simply look in the fridge, pantry or freezer and make whatever he finds into a fabulous meal. He does tend to get a bit "gourmet" and loves to make sauces especially white wine sauces with everything. The past couple of weeks I have tried my "amateur" hand at cooking meals for our family. I'm a pro at making homemade baby food for baby Cash... but that doesn't really take much creativity.

I have discovered the secret for me to create in the kitchen!! I am a visual learner. Maybe this is why I love to paint and create art. So I've discovered a few great places to go that are visually stimulating, mouthwatering and to so simple to follow... step by step!

The past few weeks I've made this which my husband stated "the best dang lasagna I've every had"! I've also made yummy banana peanut butter cake, chicken broccoli rice casserole, tuna melt sandwiches, and turkey meatloaf (with the help of my husband) he made the sauce topper :)!

I also made this yummmmmmmmmmy!

I snapped this photo to document my endeavor! So you guys would actually believe me!And this shot of my "gourmet husband" eating my zucchini cake creation!!!

I've discovered that cooking is just like art! There aren't any rules... of course recipes give you guidelines, but I've discovered what my husband already knows..... you can sub ingredients, and add your own little flare to the dish!!

I also made a nutritious fruit salad with fresh and frozen fruit!! Cut up fresh apples, bananas, plums, peaches & oranges, toss in frozen blueberries, mangoes add a half a cup of vanilla yogurt and this is what you get!

I've been stocking up on frozen peaches, mangos and blueberries for my "small fry" Baby Cash! They are great for him to eat while he's teething...

I simply put the frozen fruit inside this

and this is what it get!

I recommend these self feeding feeders to anyone who has a little one who is learning to eat solids and also teething.

Cash first learned how to use it with ice cubes!

Share your yummy recipes with me!

Currently I am learning the art of the yogurt based smoothie... instead of ice cream! I've discovered a splash of vanilla & honey may be the key!!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

CASH LOVES

#1:His "froggy" jump a roo boy can he jump!!!

#2: Making fish lips and balloons....

#3: Being a Brunkenhoefer

Paw Paw Brunkenhoefer ... Great Uncle "Ocho" Robert Brunkenhoefer & Great Uncle "funny man" Kenneth Brunkenhoefer

& Baby Brunkenhoefer

#4: His maternal Grandparents Ron & Chita

#5: Swimming with GRAM & sissy Madeline

#5: Bath time & making elephant sounds

#6: Sticking out his tongue

#7: Breakfast... lunch ... & dinner

#8: Jack's Big Music Show

on Noggin... he loves this sing*along show as well as

moose & zeee...

#9: Playing in a box inside the pack & play

#9: Da da & clapping

#10: Animals: Pooger Pie & Cider...

Aunt Wednesday & Uncle Eric's pups

he loves aunt wednesday & uncle eric too

#10: Creating Masterpieces (aka Art)

(ok... maybe it's mommy who likes to create art)

These are a few of Mommy's favorite things:

1. Cash sleeps through the night (since 4 1/2 months)

2. No teeth yet... since he still gets mommy's milk

3. The "Hall of Crawl"

4. Falls asleep in the car... loves to be in the stroller

5. Doesn't suck thumb or pacifer...

6. Happy BABY!!!

7. Has a routine... not a schedule

8. Drinks from a sippy cup

9. Loves to read with mommy

10. Mommy also loves the Jump a roo & Jack's big music show = (shower time for mom)hehe