2016

I haven't blogged in months but I want to get back into it. They have a full app for my iPhone now, so I can hop on here and post anytime super easy. So, here's to ending 2016 and starting tomorrow with keeping up!

What a year 2016 has been! Wow! This year has been loaded with change and transition. Let's go back to August 2015. I was at a place in my work with Bethany Christian Services that I was feeling the need to find a job that was more. Clock in/clock out, a "mommy" job with daytime hours. Well, I posted on Facebook that I was looking for such a job and left it up for just a couple of hours and in that short time, my friend Nathan Edberg inboxed me about a job. The job was an office manager position at a Christian Life Assembly in Willimantic. Pastor Richard Lafferty was the interviewer. I got the job! Long story short, Donnie got the job there as the Sr Pastor!! The welcoming celebration service was on January 31, 2016.

Although Willimantic is only 30 minutes from where we lived before, our move was still filled with many goodbyes. Goodbye to our 11 years at Crossroads Community Cathedral, Bowers Elementary School, our home and the many friends the kids had nearby. It was very exciting to embark upon this amazing opportunity to pastor a church but still sad in many respects. 

So, Donnie is the Sr Pastor at Christian Life Assembly! They call me Pastor Jen and I even got to do the Easter Sunday sermon as Donnie was in TX doing his sister, Clara's wedding. We love our church. The people are amazing, genuine, loving servants! We are having a blast serving this community for God's Kingdom sake! Noah and Elia are going to the Catholic school in town, Saint Mary's Saint Joseph's and Liliana is currently homeschooled. 

Elia turned 6 and is learning to read. She still loves all things vicious but also enjoys nail polish, dolls and blush on her cheeks ever now and then. 

Noah turned 9 and is in the knitting club at school. So cool. He loves Minecraft, Peanuts comics and The Legend of Zelda. 

Liliana switched on to double digits when she turned 10 in March. We had a fun girly dance party! She still loves to write and draw. She is always in creative mode. She is training for a half-marathon with an amazing godly woman from our church. 

Donnie's sister, Patsy, aka Aunt Patsy moved in with us in July of this year. She is a blessing to all of us and our church in many ways. She is super funny and and a very talented interior decorator. 

I had a big birthday this year!! I turned 40! Wooh! I was showered with love, Birthday songs and gifts by the family and church. So thankful! 

I starred in our church play, One Quiet Night. I played the role of the stressed out mom/wife who finally found peace in the true meaning of Christmas. 

Courtney visited us 3 times this year!!! Wow!! She came in March and was here for Liliana's big birthday. She and I also spend a night in Newport, RI and toured the Mansions. It was very special. She joined us for a Caribbean Cruise in October that was gifted to us by a couple Donnie married a couple of years ago. Then she came here for the week of Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Daniel. He just proposed to her on Thursday, December 29. She said YES! 

So, 2017, we look forward to spending each day with gratitude and anticipation of God's Hand at work in our lives! We are ready to serve more selflessly and grow in Christ's unconditional love for each other and for the world around us. 

Dresses are my Enemy

One day a week, just one, I try to get Elia to wear a dress. Sundays for church is the day. This past Sunday I showed her the dress, leggings and sweater I had chosen for her to wear and left the room. A few moments later, she walked out in utter play clothes. She pleaded with me to not make her wear a dress tearfully screaming, "DRESSES ARE MY ENEMY!" 

I said "why are dresses your enemy, honey?"

She said, "dresses are pretty and pretty things are my ENEMY...seps (except) you, Mommy...and Nana."

Be still my heart! She immediately caught herself and realized I am in the pretty category along with her sister. 

Love you more than all the dresses, Dolly!  

Dolly

Okay, I have been calling Elia, Dolly for as long as I can remember... She is my Dolly! If I call Liliana Dolly, Elia will say, "I'm your Dolly..." And I say "oh, yes, of course." ☺️❤️ Well, this morning as we were snuggling and opening our eyes to find a new day, she hugged me and with our faces about two inches apart asked me "Mommy, when I'm a gwown (grown) up, will I still be your Dolly?" And I said, "YES, of course, always!!" ❤️❤️❤️

To Be a Kid

Me: "It must be cool being a kid!"

Elia: "It is, do u wish you could be a kid? 

If you do, you need to be a toddler, be a tomboy and like dinosaurs and...love GOD, the most!!" 

Cousins

On our way to the park right now as a fam and NOAH says to Liliana and ELIA: you know how we live really far away from our cousins...when we grow up and get married, let's be neighbors, right next to each other so our kids can have their cousins right next to each other and can see them every day! And let's go to the same church and to the same school. 😍❤️

P90X

Tonight as we were finishing up our dinner of leftover chicken parm and spaghetti, Noah turned to me and said "mommy, I only have 4 more days to do P90X and I will be as strong as Spiderman. I am definitely stronger than Robin and strong than Batman too. Daddy is stronger than Superman, way stronger. The guy who made P90X (Tony Horton) is way way way stronger than Daddy, like a million times stronger." 

I listen and said "wow, Noah, that's amazing". Hehe. :)

VBS God Sighting

This year I served in the Preschool room for VBS and Elia got to hang out in there with me the three days I worked. She went to the toddler room the other two days. 

  

Today our lesson was about when Jesus washed the disciples feet. Each crew leader used a pitcher of water and a towel to wash each of their crew members feet. This meant that ever single child had their feet washed. 

  

After this we had a plate of crackers to share for each crew to represent the breaking of bread Jesus did with His disciples. Well, in the preschool room there was 5 groups of kids.  In our group of 6 kids there was a boy who was having a very rough day and because of some medical things he is going through he had a very hard time sharing crackers with the group.  To cope he went off by himself upset. 

Our next step in our lesson was to ask each child if they knew someone who was going through a hard time. I asked Elia and she pointed over to the boy and said "he is having a hard time". I said "you are right, I think he is having a hard time".  Then we were instructed to ask the children "what should we do to help that person?" And I asked Elia what we should do to help the boy having a rough day and she thought for a moment and then said "cheer him up!" I said "go ahead, go cheer him up." She then walked over to him and stood right next to him quietly, the way Elia does and just stayed there...after a few moments he turned to look at her and started talking to her very calmly. She had cheered him up...by simply "being there".  I walked over and gave them a few linkin logs to play with and they played for a good 20 peaceful minutes. I finally walked over and said "Elia do u want to come and do a craft?" And she said "no, I am still cheering him up." They both then decided to come with me to do the craft with the group. 

Wow! Prior to all of this I had worked up a sweat trying to calm the boy down and get him to stay with our group. It was SO beautiful to see God use Elia in such a powerful way, right before our eyes. The other leaders in the room saw what happened and we touched. The most precious part was that Elia's heart in her actions was pure and simple...it wasn't about "look at me minister...", it was truly about A. Someone needs help and B. This is what we need to DO. And C. Do it. That simple. What a lesson! 

Love you, Princess! God loves you and has awesome plans for u...He is already seen in you!