A Joyful Blog

Merry Christmas (a few days late...)

2011-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

Our 2011 Christmas Tree

Undecorating for Christmas

2011-12-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure "undecorate" is a word. My computer doesn't think it is. But that is what I'm fixing to do. And it feels sad to put the beloved ornaments, bells, candles and nativity scenes away for another year.

One of the best parts of the Christmas season is the looking forward with anticipation to something. The kids make chains and remove a link each day as Christmas approaches. Our wall slowly fills with Christmas cards from people we love. We the Christmas narrative over and over. There is so much forward looking. Then Christmas is over and the forward looking ceases.

But we have something even better to look forward to than celebrating Jesus' first coming. Jesus is coming back! For two millennium that is what the Christians have longed for and looked for. I get so focused on the here and now: the dishes, diapers, dirt. I forget about the glorious future and the Second Coming of Jesus.

This life is often full of pain and failure and disappointment but in Christ we have a perfect future coming. I can put all this beauty away until next year's advent season and still live with such anticipation. Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:1-2

Jesus is coming again! Jesus is coming again! I can live continually with that joyful anticipation.

Preparing for Death

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Obviously I don't write on here much. But I do write. One of the things I write yearly are letters to my kids on their birthdays. I tell them what I love about them, recent funny stories and describe their current interests. But most importantly I tell them what I'm learning about the Lord. I write out the Gospel and anything I would want them to know if I didn't get the privilege of watching them grow up.

I hope I am there when they become adults, get married and have children but there is no promise of that. The only thing that is promised me is that I will die someday. Period. I'm not promised happiness or health or wealth, but I will die (Unless Jesus returns first!! Oh do come Lord Jesus!) and so I have decided to be ready for death. I have letters written to many of the people I love. I haven't had some premonition of an early death or anything goofy like that. And genetically speaking I'll likely live a long time yet. I'm just preparing for my promised homegoing.

And so I write letters to my kids that they may know the glorious riches of life and salvation in Christ. So they may know that while they were still rebellious sinners Christ died for them. So they may know that He Who knew no sin became sin for them so they might become the Righteousness of God. And so they will know regardless of whether I am here with them or not that I loved them.

Malachi

2010-09-20T14:32:00.001-07:00

We were at the dentist office. Waiting. My life was pretty simple at the moment because Silas and Zion, the busy, mess-makers, were at home with Daddy. I was reading a book while Eden and Malachi sat on the floor playing with a couple boys. I wasn't paying much attention to their play when all of a sudden their conversation intruded into my book. Malachi, my bold, sometimes fierce, sometimes overwhelming 4-year-old, was proclaiming, "Jesus is even higher up than outerspace! He died on the cross for your sins and now he is alive and in heaven which is higher than the space shuttles can go!"

Just then the dental hygienist called our name and we left two curious boys looking on while we headed to the room. Oh that I could have the boldness of Malachi! Thank you, my precious son, for this testimony. Oh Father, please grant him that boldness all the days of his life.

Current Pictures of the Gang

2010-09-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

Zion finally decided to walk at 15 months and is oh so proud of himself.
This is such a great picture of Silas because he is almost always smiling and almost always naked.
Malachi and Eden submitted picture in the local fair. Here he is so excited to see his TV on the wall.
I chopped my hair short again about 6 weeks ago so this time Eden wanted hers short too. Her's her new bob.

Seeking the Missing

2010-09-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

So I lost something. To make matters worse, Moses needed it. As I frantically ransacked the house my prayer life went something like this, "Lord, I have been trying so hard to get organized. Truly organized. You know this doesn't come naturally for me. But I was making headway, so I thought. I have REALLY been trying because I know order honors you. You know where this is, PLEASE help me." What I wasn't so boldly saying, yet was thinking (*cringe*- here you'll see my sinful heart) "Come on, I have been working hard, spending myself for you. Can't you just come through for me with this? Make it show up? What's a girl got to do? Do I really have to waste my precious time on this?" Now you know I didn't really put it into words like that, but my heart was indeed murmuring.

Moses came in and prayed with me. Not so much that we would find the missing something, but that I would honor the Lord in the search. I was anxious about it. (There is another sin.) And being irritable with my children (I believe the biblical word for that sin is selfishness or perhaps anger). And then after praying with Moses, I realized this had nothing to do with finding the missing item and everything to do with my sanctification. Did I trust His goodness or not? I claim to trust Him with big things like my family's safety, my children's ultimate salvation, the finances we need, etc, but if I couldn't trust His good heart in something this small did I really trust Him at all. I began to really pay attention to and CONTROL my self-talk. Determined to only let truthful thoughts make it past the guard. My new thinking went something like this, "Joy, the Lord knows where this is and if you truly need it, it will show up in His timing. He is good and this is for your good and His Glory. In the meantime, your babies are watching to see if you are going to put your faith and words into actions." I asked my kiddos for forgiveness and began to treat them as I should. Then when time allowed I began to search thoroughly again (I say "when time allowed" because I had been neglecting other things to search). I chose a favorite, Christ-exalting hymn to sing and pretty soon was cleaning away, going through drawers that had been ignored for ages.

All of a sudden I realized that even though I hadn't found it. I was no longer worried and had actually enjoyed clearing out all that clutter I hadn't otherwise made time to go through yet. As that thought crossed my mind I found the Missing. I praised my Savior for helping me find it (for Moses needed it after all) but more so I praised Him for the work He did in me. I praised Him for the opportunity to recognize in the midst of it (rather than afterwards) the fact that I was failing a test (albeit a small one) and I praised Him for helping me turn it around. I know to call this a "trial" in the light of what so many people I know are going through would be ridiculous, and yet I know that these "little tests" matter too for they are the training ground for "big tests". You react as you train. Today was a training opportunity for me. Now I have 2 clean drawers too. Bonus.

Unanswered Prayer

2010-05-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I was alone in Costco with all 4 kids, which I realize is an oxymoron. I mean I was the ONLY adult with all 4 kids and Eden announced she needed to go to the bathroom badly. My cart was full and I wasn't about to leave it so I told her she'd have to hold it. She said she REALLY needed to go. I said, "Let's pray about it and ask the Lord to send someone along who we know who can help us. They can stay with the cart and babies and I'll take you to the bathroom." We prayed and Eden began scanning every isle we entered looking for the person God would send. Her faith never wavered for a moment. She was fully confident He would send us someone.

(Now a bit of background: This is a prayer I have prayed many times through the years when I have found myself in need and almost ALWAYS someone is there immediately to help.) Today no one came. I was really beginning to feel anxious and my conversation with the Lord was going something like this, "Father, wouldn't this be a great opportunity to strengthened a little girl's faith? She'd really praise you and gush about it to Daddy and all her friends. Can't you do this for us? What's she going to think about the reality of prayer if You don't send some one?" Nothing. No one. I was preparing myself for how to address what appeared to be an "unanswered prayer." I started to explain how sometimes God says, "No" or "Wait."

Eden said, "I know Mommy. It's okay. Today He told me to wait and then He made me able to hold it. I know He could have sent someone, but He knew I could hold it." Her faith was still fully intact. I realized how fearful I'd been that one "unanswered prayer" would shatter her fragile, juvenile, beautiful faith. I was the one who the "no" was for and whose faith needed strengthened.

Thank You, Precious Father, for answering our Costco prayer with a "No."

My Undoing

2009-12-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

Don't get your hopes up. I'm not back. I have huge aspirations to make this blog happen someday, but not right now. Baby #4, Zion Ryle, born May 12th, 2009 was my undoing when it comes to blogging. He is the sweetest and our family is now complete, but something had to give and so my blog did. Someday when all my babies are out of diapers and can complete the bedtime routine without me I may be ready to blog again. Until then... may your grow in faith in our Victorious, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Bike Ride

2008-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is our precious church.

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-17T20:38:00.001-07:00

We live in Lancaster, CA. It's an hour north of L.A. We live 7 miles outside of town on the property of our church. We're surrounded by alfalfa fields.
This is the view looking East. (Moses on the bike with one of the kids.)
This is the view looking South.
This is the view looking West. The church is actually just west of our house but I walked North a bit.
A sunset from the front of our church.

Ballerina Eden... with tap shoes

2008-10-17T20:27:00.001-07:00

Here I actually think she may have been doing the hula. Grandma learned in Hawaii and taught her.

This Fall Eden is taking a combo Ballet and Tap Dance class. SHE LOVES IT. (understatement). In August I found this leotard at a Thrift Store for $1.99. Later at home as I examined it I realized it was 1)Brand new (tags inside) and 2)A fancy shmancy Dance brand. I looked the leotard up online and found that Eden has a $25 leotard that the Lord provided for $1.99. Thank you God!

Sweet Silas is One

2008-10-17T20:16:00.001-07:00

October 1st we celebrated Silas Piper's first birthday. He is a very sweet and happy boy. He laughs easily and loves his sibling. He's walking and trying to talk, favorite words being "All done." and "Uh Oh."
"Are they really going to let me get close to that glowing thing?"

Enjoying an earful of birthday cake.
Has anyone else had a child who likes to use his foot to help hold his drink?
The morning of his 1st birthday Moses buzzed his head. This is the before picture. It was actually his 4th haircut since birth, but just for fun we did it on his birthday.

Achy Breaky Heart

2008-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is Malachi dancing to "Achy Breaky Heart". No kidding. In his favorite firetruck jammies no less. He got the boots as an early birthday present from Grandpa and Grandma and they hardly leave his feet. Sometimes (often) they are the only thing on him.

We have this silly kids video from the early '90s with a kids rendition of "Achy Breaky" and he loves it. The other day at church two visiting girls had boots on and he yelled at full volume, "Mommy, can they dance the 'Achy Breaky' with me?"

Out of the Woods

2008-10-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

After weeks of nausea and vomiting I am starting to feel a little better. Now I'm just exhausted and spitting. (With all 4 pregnancies I have had ptyalism. It's overactive saliva glands so my mouth waters all day and I have to spit out the extra saliva. Makes me feel real lady-like... pp-too-ee.)

Thank you for praying for us and for the encouragement. This round of morning sickness has definitely been the most severe I have endured. I would probably think I was pretty sick right now if is wasn't such an improvement over a month ago. Please continue to pray for a safe pregnancy.

Pregnant

2008-09-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine that anyone is looking at my blog who hasn't already heard through some other means, but just in case, we are pregnant again! With #4. The part of the story that is somewhat unknown is that this was/is totally unplanned by the Estradas. This is completely a "God's idea" baby. I took 7 positive tests before Moses and I would believe it (especially Moses). Now we, of course, are thrilled and already talking about having 4 kiddos like if he/she is here.

Morning sickness. Why is it called that? I actually don't know anyone who only had it in the morning. It has been BAD. Especially at night. Our precious Church Family has stepped in and helped with cooking, cleaning, laundry, child care. I don't know how I would be doing it without them. Please pray that we all would persevere during this hard time and honor Christ and that the "all-day" sickness would end soon. My Mom comes Sunday... Praise the Lord. Thank you for your joy and prayers.

Far to go...

2008-09-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

So Ben, a little boy from our church, is here playing with Eden and Malachi. 3 kids+2 swings=conflict. Malachi is whining about not getting a turn. I remind him of the privilege of loving and serving his friend and sister.

Ben hops off the swing and says, "Here Malachi you can swing. I'll push you."

I say, "Wow, Malachi, Ben is serving you. What should you say?"

Malachi, "Higher!"

Broken toe?

2008-08-27T10:23:00.001-07:00

I may have broken my pinky toe on my right foot. I'll never know for sure because I don't intend to go to the doctor, but each step reminds me how thankful I am that usually I function in a mostly pain-free capacity. I know people who suffer daily from different medical conditions that cause almost constant pain to some degree. What a precious reminder of heaven. I know that the real joy of heaven will be being able to know, serve, worship, love Jesus in a sin-free capacity, but the end of pain will be a wonderful perk as well.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. John 14:1-4

Malachi

2008-08-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Malachi has said some really funny stuff lately so I wanted to write it down before I forget.

This morning at breakfast we were eating German sausage that my parents brought from Colorado because we can't find it here in California. Eden prefers breakfast sausage or Italian sausage so she said, "Mommy, I don't want anymore of this German sausage. I don't like it." Malachi, not to be outdone, immediately says, "Mommy my sausage has germs on it too!"

Moses brought home a bag of zucchini the other day (that's a story in and of itself). My Mom had brought us some from CO and had baked several loaves of zucchini bread which my kids love fresh with butter.

I said to Moses, "What am I going to do with all this zucchini?" Malachi, always listening says, "I want zucchini!! Mommy, can I have some zucchini?" I thought this was a very odd request, but I washed a small one and handed it to him. If looks could kill.... he said, "That's NOT zucchini!" "Yes it is Malachi." "No it's not." "Honey, I don't understand. Tell me what you're talking about." "Mommy you know. The kind of zucchini with butter on it...."

Needless to say I soon after baked more zucchini BREAD.

Birthday Party Fun

2008-08-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

These shots are from Aria Stavole's 3rd birthday party. Stavole parties are always a hoot. Lino and Nicoletta ooze with creativity and it shows. The theme was like medieval/kings and queens/knights/castles... Fun was had by all...

Sedo and Tata

2008-08-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Moses' parents go by "Sedo and Tata" instead of "Grandpa and Grandma" (It's Arabic I believe). They came over after church last Sunday for the afternoon and I was terrified by how high Sedo was tossing the kids, but needless to say they loved it.

Bubbles and "smoke"

2008-08-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

My parents arrived fr0m Colorado yesterday bringing A LOT of frozen beef on dry ice. (My uncles raise beef cows). There was dry ice left so we dumped it in the wading pool. It was awesome! It bubbled for 20 minutes. The kids loved it.

Kitten Pictures!

2008-08-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

There are 3 yellow/orange ones, 3 gray and 2 black. One of the black has orange speckles. Mama moved them across the garage this morning probably because we were looking at them too much. She seems really cool with me being around but if anyone else shows up she gets nervous. She's eating a ton so hopefully will continue to be able to feed them all.

Kittens!

2008-08-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't wanted to disturb them enough to take pictures yet, but Mama Kitty had 8 kittens in the garage this morning. I got to watch the first 4 and then I thought she was done so I went back to the house. About half an hour later I went to check on her and it was like she was waiting for me. As soon as I got there she had 2 more. I was so surprised and certain she was done. Again I left for about a half an hour. Upon my return she pushed out Lucky #7. I rushed to the house to tell the family about this new Johnny-come-lately.... then low and behold when next I checked her there were 8! Number 8 is actually the only one I didn't witness the birth of and had I not rushed off after 7, I probably could have seen him too. We are so excited! The kids are disappointed that they can't hold them, but love to look.

Mama Kitty

2008-08-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is Mama Kitty. We live in the church parsonage and she is the church cat. She was pretty wild when we moved in last March, but 5 months of food and attention and I pretty much have her wrapped around my little finger. She had kittens in March and there are 3 of them left around but they are very wild. She is ready to pop with kittens again. This time the goal is to catch and tame them... and find new homes! We don't need a dozen church cats. I put Mama in the garage every night to protect her from the bold coyotes who love to chase her around the yard, so hopefully the kittens will be born in the garage! Then we can keep one... or two... or....

Who needs a water park?

2008-08-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Just some fun we were having one afternoon. In the close-up of Malachi there is a big fly on the side of his head. Eden was fearless.

Just Fun

2008-08-15T11:57:00.001-07:00

Sometimes having kids is just plain fun. Malachi just ran to me bellowing "Mama!" at the top of his lungs. I never know what such a greeting will be followed by. This time he was just holding a fly swatter. He said, "This is Daddy's fly swatter! It's for killing flies. NOT bumblebees." Then he tromped away.

Silas Praise!

2008-08-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on Silas. His heart murmur is completely innocent. His iron is low, but we're working on that. And He is growing... more slowly than most, but is making progress and that is all we're looking for. Thank you for praying with us.

Lots of pictures!

2008-08-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

I actually added so many pictures tonight that you have to go into "older posts" to see them all. Enjoy.

Life in Estradaville

2008-08-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

Part of my original intent with this blog was to have a way to keep our loved one updated on our lives. So far I haven't done very well, but here we go again.

Moses finished year 4 (can you believe that!?) at the Master's Seminary this summer. He's the pastoral intern at our church and therefore has had many ministry opportunities.

In May he was part of our Evangelism Focus and went door-to-door a couple times. One of the ladies they were talking to fainted while she was visiting with them and they ended up calling 911 and waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Crazy. Several people from our church had the opportunity to share the Gospel to people. As we focused on Evangelism, Pastor Bryan led a 12 week Sunday School class for the adults and teens on Evangelistic Home Bible Studies. This is an awesome model of evangelism which provides 6, one-hour sessions in an interested individual's home to share the important aspects of the Faith with them. Moses has been involved in several of these home studies now.

After that class, Moses started a series on prayer during Sunday School which has been delightful. We are reading "The Cup and the Glory" by Greg Harris on the topic of suffering as part of that class.

Moses has also had the opportunity to preach 5 or 6 times this summer at Sunday evening Church. He's preaching through the Book of 1 Thessalonians. Eventually some of his sermons will be available to listen to online through our church website, but not yet.

My ministry through all this has been to take care of Moses and the kids. It has been weird to not be "leading" anything, but this is where the Lord has me focused right now and I love it. I, of course, serve in the nursery and am involved in the Women's ministry at our Church, but just at a member level.

With the desire to have a Christ-centered home, we have implemented a Family Worship Time this summer. We are still tweaking it to make it fit our family at this stage, but the kids love it. Most evenings we sing a couple songs (sometimes Daddy plays his guitar) and we read a Bible story and pray. We have been reading the Bible together at night for years, but incorporating the element of music is new. We have also been teaching the kids about prayer and why we pray and Who we are talking to.

At this time Moses only has 4 classes left and could graduate in December, however since the ceremony isn't until May anyhow he has decided to take 2 in the Fall and 2 in the Spring.

I am prayerfully considering a ministry opportunity and will share more once the decision is made.

The Lord is faithful and we are growing in love for Him and His Word. Thank you again for your interest and love. You are precious to us.

"And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24

Silas

2008-08-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

Silas with his orange balloon and matching orange cloth diaper was too cute to pass up a picture. Please pray for him. He has an appointment to have his heart murmur checked out this coming week. We're expecting it to be innocent, but treasure your prayers as we wait. His iron is also low (a problem Eden also had back in the day) so we'll be deciding the best plan to address that soon too.

Beach Day!!

2008-08-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

You can see the progress of the hole I wrote about in a previous post. It was huge when they were done. Moses is in the picture of the guys boogieboarding: top, righthand guy in the picture.

Disneyland!

2008-08-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here's the pictures from Disneyland. In the midst of the sorrow of the funeral we were involved in (see previous post). We already had this day planned including having our tickets so we spent a fun-filled, HOT day in Disneyland. Our kids had a great time and were little troopers. We didn't leave the park until after 10 pm. Then I left my camera case (including my cell phone in it) on the tram so it was another hour or so before we got that all sorted out and found it. (Funny story... the people who found my phone scrolled down and saw "Mom Cell" as one of my contacts so they dialed it at what was midnight Colorado time to tell "Mom" they had found her child's phone. My Mom was very relieved when she realized it wasn't an emergency that had Joy calling her at midnight...) Anyhow... We eventually made it home with the camera and cell phone and MUCH rejoicing that they weren't lost forever. I realized that day how many phone numbers I have stored nowhere other than my phone.

Malachi can't stop talking about Disneyland, but he thinks it was Chuckie Cheese. Our conversations go something like this: Malachi says, "Mommy remember when we saw Buzz Lightyear at Chuckie Cheeses?" I reply, "Yes, but that was Disneyland." Malachi, "Oh, Disneyland." Ten minutes later, "Mommy, remember when we saw those fireworks at Chuckie Cheeses?" "Yes, Malachi, but that was Disneyland." "Oh, Disneyland." Ten minutes later, "Mommy,..." He is sure going to be disappointed the next time we go to Chuckie Cheese if he's expecting Disneyland.

Eden, to my surprise, told me the "Finding Nemo" ride was her favorite ride. I was surprised because she was very scared on that ride, but she told me, "I was so afraid when we went far under water, but Jesus kept us safe."

A Great Privilege

2008-08-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

This week did not go at all as we had planned but that is the beauty of the Sovereignty of God. It went according to His plan. Moses had the great privilege of sharing the true Gospel to a large group at a funeral today. This is the second funeral he has ... what's the word? Officiated on his own? (I will get back with you on the proper term because I don't know) but anyhow... I was so blessed, challenged and encouraged as he reminded us that we all will die, we deserve death because of our rebellion and sin, but Jesus satisfied God's justice by dying in our place. Now when we die we can receive eternal life. His message was a beautiful combination of compassion and confidence in the Truth of God's Word.

We found out late Monday that the younger brother of an old High School buddy had committed suicide. Not having a church to connect with themselves the family asked Moses to do the funeral. He spent Wednesday and Thursday off and on with the family, planning the funeral, praying working on his message. Then today we spent most of the day at the funeral. Please pray for the Pinion family.

Eden's and Silas' Room

2008-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is Pastor Bryan and Moses installing... hmmm... when it's this high is it still called chair rail? Anyhow... they are installing it in the room. Looks great. Someday I'll get the curtains done.

Our Little Serta Lambs

2008-08-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

I found this picture in the camera. Not sure when Moses took it. It's funny though when you know what it is. With the birth of each baby we have bought a Serta sheep because our little lambs were conceived in a Serta bed.

Malachi in an Apron again?

2008-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

I friend sent this too me. I just thought it was funny that Malachi is in an apron once again and for all intent an purposes it looks like he may be naked under there...

Life in CA...

2008-08-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone who has been hounding me about updating this... I apologize. I returned to CA and things just went wild. BUT... we have been doing fun stuff lately and I plan to post pictures this week while Moses is home spending time with us on vacation from work and school. We spent a wonderful day at the beach yesterday and will going to Disneyland on Tuesday.

About the beach. I learned something new. If you have boys and they are... hmmm... probably 8 or older (teenagers work best) the best thing to bring to the beach to keep them happy for hours is a shovel. A good old-fashioned farming, gardening, dig-a-big-hole, long-handled shovel. We went to the beach with our Church family and several of them brought shovels and the boys dug half-way to China until the hole was so deep they hit water and couldn't keep it bailed out. They had so much fun and we all had so much fun watching them.

One quick Eden funny... as you might know we had an earthquake last week. My first ever. Crazy. I thought I was walking on a ship tossed by the waves. Definitely makes you aware of how finite we are and how infinite our Lord is. Galaxies dripped off His fingers at the sound of a Word. Mmmmm... anyhow... Eden was outside when it happened and when we were talking about it moments later I asked her if she felt it. She didn't understand what I meant so I said, "Did you feel the ground move under you?" She said, "Oh that. I was running so hard Mommy I made the ground wiggle."

Colorado Christian University Friends

2008-06-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the great joy of connecting with several college friends. The first picture is me, Janice H., Amy H. and Tammy B. Between the 4 of us we had 10 kiddos present and 2 kids absnent (Malachi stayed home with Grandma). It was a blessing to share the joys and trials of motherhood together and see how the Lord is leading and using each family. These ladies are each still persevering in their walk with Jesus and I was encouraged by that. Thanks gals for the great time!

Grandpa Jim

2008-06-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

My Grandpa Jim is 87 years old and loves the Lord. Though he would say he has made many mistakes, he has set a wonderful example for his family. He is generous, humble, quick to forgive and funny! He loves his wife, kids, grandkids and great-grandkids immensely. He's doing great and I hope we get to keep him for another decade or more, but if the Lord would decide to promote him to heaven sooner than later, I just wanted to have a brief tribute here to a man I love and admire. I can remember wonderful times with my Grandpa learning to fish, learning about rocks and petrified wood (he's a rockhound), playing Skipbo, camping in his RV, laughing at his funny jokes, and seeing him worship Sunday after Sunday in my home church growing up. I have been very blessed to have a heritage of Faith in my family like Grandpa Jim.

Psalm 19

2008-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

The sunsets here on the plains of Colorado have been undescribable. The sun drops behind the jagged sillouettes of Longs and Meeker. So far I haven't had a camera with me to try to capture the beauty but will try. As I watched the sunset a couple nights ago I thought of Psalm 19 and knew it to be true. The heavens were telling, declaring, recounting the weightiness of the glory of God. My soul rejoiced in the Lord Who made heaven and earth (see Psalm 121). And then the meditating on Psalm 19 reminded me that I have everything I need for life and godliness in the Bible.

What practical application did this have in my life? I am a mere creature and The Creator is real and in control. Truly believing in His sovereignty, goodness and love as demonstrated not just in the sunset, but in the Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, gives me purpose for each day. I am a sinner, saved. That changes everything. And I need not grope along wondering how to live because I have His Word that is perfect, revives my soul, makes wise, enlightens, is desireable, etc, etc. Nothing could be more applicable, because that changes the way I live my life, love my husband, serve my kids, face the future, endure hard times, grieve, rejoice... everything! Oh that I would learn to love and know the Word more! Thank you Lord for that sunset.

The heavens do declare God! See and ponder and worship.

Malachi...

2008-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

This picture was just too good not to share. Malachi loves this apron that I sewed in 4H as a kid and he loves to be naked so this day he combined the two!

Silas Piper is 8 months old

2008-06-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our precious son, Silas Piper Estrada, named after John Piper of Desiring God ministries, turned 8 month old today. What a blessing he is! He now has 2 teeth (is working on more), can scoot all over the house, is so happy and content and just loves people. He was very slow to take to solid food, but is getting there. That little grin just melts your heart.

Fun at Grandpa's and Grandma's

2008-06-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fun from the top:
1. and 2. Grandpa and Malachi have spent literally hours riding this old converted lawnmower around the property. I don't think it goes faster than 1 mile an hour (I can easily out-walk it) but Malachi loves it... better than Disneyland! (Though with gas prices, not much cheaper.)

3. Grandma has an amazing garden planted again this year. We are already enjoying the bounty of her hard work. Here she is sharing freshly picked strawberries with Malachi.

4. Eden and cousin Lauryn have had much fun together though Lauryn looks less than pleased in this picture. Malachi must have been picking on her. The Magi cousins will be here soon.

5. The newest Stromberger! Lincoln Levi Worley is almost 2 months old and very sweet. What blue eyes.

"Uncle" Marty's Wedding

2008-06-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we had the great privilege of being involved in our dear friends, Marty and Tammy Van Driel's wedding. Moses was the best man and I read Philippians 2:1-11 during the ceremony.

The whole thing was a crazy experience because 2 days before the wedding the groom had an emergency appendectomy. The night of the rehearsal he was still in the hospital so we rehearsed without him! But the Lord graciously healed him and he made it to his own wedding.

Eden has been counting down the days to this event and loved the whole thing.

It was a blast to see so many old college friends. The third picture above is of Marty and his sister Heidi Ross also a good friend. And in the first picture the gal on Moses' right is my precious friend Marla Sonksen.

Colorado... mmmm the smell...

2008-05-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

After almost a year, we are visiting Colorado again. The Greeley area (where my parents live) is known for its cattle feedlots and therefore the smell of... manure. It reminded me of an Eden funny from a couple months ago.

Home in California we recently moved to the country. We are 7 miles from the closest... anything really. And a lot farther than that to the bank, post office, mall, grocery store, etc. We love it! There are alfalfa fields on 3 sides of our house.

One night the whole family took a walk down one of the dirt farm roads near our house and at the end was a HUGE pile of manure (like several semitruck loads) ready to be used as fertilizer I assume. Eden's first comment was, "It smells like Colorado." While we were laughing Malachi ran to touch the big pile of "mud" and Moses said, "Don't touch that. It's cow poop." Eden then said, "Wow that cow sure made A LOT of poop."

Cloth Diaper Fun

2008-05-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

When I heard a couple of my friends had switched to cloth diapers I thought they were nuts... and then I switched and now I'm nuts too! But as you can see, cloth is fun! Silas is modeling a cloth diaper. Yes that is a diaper. Both Malachi and Silas have been in cloth since January. The greatest appeal to me was the financial benefit, but it's been enjoyable as well... I sorta feel like I have a hobby again after a long time of being too busy for a hobby.

If you are interested I use many kinds and have learned a lot and would be glad to pass on the knowledge...

A Dead Cormorant

2008-05-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago a cormorant landed in a tree in the front yard and died. Yes, I know cormorants are water birds and aren't usually in trees. They aren't usually in the desert either. What he was doing here... I don't know... But it was a good chance to talk about death with my children. Death is what awaits us all. Our culture seems to either be obsessed with it in an I-wear-all-black-even-my-lips-and-hair way or we don't want to talk about it. And for us as believers in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, when we die it's gain! (See Philippians 1:21) So I was thankful for the opportunity to talk to the kiddos about this topic.

Anyhow... back to the cormorant... I set out a big bucket of water in case he was thirsty. I didn't have any food for him. We're short on lakes around here. But the next morning he had died with wings opened and had fallen only to be snagged about a yard off the ground on a branch. I was fearful of getting some weird water bird disease so I put on rubber gloves and placed a large cardboard box under him. (With his wings spread out like that he was the size of a small dog). Then I whacked him with a stick until he fell into the box. Then bird, box, gloves AND stick (because I didn't want Malachi to get it) went into the trash...

Our Story... a brief history

2008-05-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

The Lord has been very good to us in forgiving us and making us into His children. We enjoy our marriage and family so much as a blessing from His Hand.

Moses and I met in college in the Spring of 1998 and got married in the Summer of 1999. Our first 3 years of marriage were spent in Siloam Springs, AR. The next 2 in Colorado and for the last 4 years we have lived in Southern California in the Antelope Valley.

In February 2004 our Eden Jodelle was born. Malachi Moses was born in November 2005 in the hallway at home, no less... and Silas Piper was born October 2007. Our house is full of fun and noise and toys.

Our interests include anything involving our Church (Roosevelt Community Church) and anything as a family. Our lives are very simple and to the best of our ability, Christ-centered. We live in our church's parsonage, so literally, if the door is open, we are here (especially since Moses is the one who opens the doors!)

Seminary Update

2008-05-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

A primary reason for starting this blog is to keep people informed of our seminary status. So without further delay.

Seminary Status!
Lord-willing, this week Moses will finish year 4 at the Master's Seminary. If all goes as planned he will graduate in May of 2009. He will be taking a couple classes this summer as well.

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

In mid-March we moved from the house we had been living in for nearly 3 years into the parsonage at our church. Our pastor and all the elders own homes and it was vacant. Our church is committed to supporting men who are in seminary training so the home was offered to us.

We will celebrate 9 years of marriage in June and this was our 9th move... we are no stranger to boxes. However... when we last moved we had 1 baby and were leaving a shoebox apartment... suffice it to say we have a little more "stuff" these days with 3 kiddos. But after nearly 2 months we are feeling at home and I even hung a picture on the wall! Please change our address in your book so we won't miss those Christmas cards next year.... yes... I am always thinking of Christmas.

For some reason I got nervous about having my address on here so I took it off! You'll need to email me to get it. Thanks.

Excitedly Nervous...

2008-05-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I feel so nervous about posting something here.... I have had this spot since January and still have not done anything.... But here I go! Welcome to the Estrada's World. I look forward to sharing our adventures, pictures and faith with you here!