Friday Photo Flashback No. 13

Time flies in a rush. Friday again and time to dig our pre-digital photos to post here in Friday Photo Flashback. Great that Alicia started this as it's really fun to showcase precious photos that captured great memories. Got a lot of them? Join us here.

FAMILY PHOTO

My flashback today is our old family photo. If you had read my post on me and hubby's love story at COUPLES CORNER, you would know why this family photo is so precious for me. This is the first family photo where I have a complete family. Two kids with me and a father to my children. My youngest daughter was still on my tummy this time and about 6 mos in fetal age.

I got this from my wallet. Though digi-photos are "in" nowadays , I still keep this on my wallet.

Mommy Moments: Precious Gifts

Friday and Mommy Moments again! Our topic for this week is all about Precious gifts. Any gifts we have received from our kids. It could be intangible or tangible as long as you find it precious and dear.

Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In our hearts and souls are infinitely precious gifts that cannot be taken out from us. For me, there's no other precious than the gift of my children. Their being here in my life is the most precious gift itself. With them on my life, I feel I have a home, what joy it is to be a mother of them.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127: 3-5

Their smiles, their "I Love You Mama Shelo" , the " We miss you Mama Shelo" from my boys and their joys and laughter are more than enough and treasured by me a lot in my heart. Their good school performances and their love to the Lord, their kisses and hugs serve my real strength and inspiration. Nothing beats really the joy of receiving the love of your children than all the material possessions in the world.

smile like this could make my day right..

Their laughter like these could ease my loneliness...

Bonding moments with them takes away all my cares..



Their wits and wisdom and love to the Lord makes me a proud mama.

Thank you Lord for these precious gifts.. the gifts of my CHILDREN..and for the little one that is COMING very soon!!!

So join us today at Mommy Moments and tell us what gifts you also treasure.

52 Weeks Challenge: 4/52

The Challenge is on again.. It's Thursday! As I say, I decided to participate in this year-round challenge hosted by Carin of Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal of this challenge is for us moms to have at least one photo with the children once a week. Challenge yourself now. Join us here.

Whew!! Glad that I accidentally managed to have one photo this week. Forgive me I am just in the background almost. LOL.. At least, there's still my face in the corner.

There we go.. Daddy and daughter were showing their big mouth, while I am at the background feeling sleepy.

Couple's Corner: Love Blossomed..

It's time for beautiful love stories once again, It's COUPLE'S CORNER day. Every Wednesday, Mommy Liz of Rodliz Nest hosts this wonderful meme for couples in love in the air. If you are game and wanted to share along your own love story why not join the fun with us. Hit the badge above and we'll enjoy each others story.

So after that First Night when we laid our eyes on each other.. the love story of Zel and Mie began..

We went on our separate ways heading home after the YP meeting with the strong urge to see him again. I hadn't slept right away. I was thinking when could I lay my eyes on him again. I knew little of him. I even didn't know if he still studying or has graduated already. It was just a mere introduction at a very short while. I guess I would see him again on the next Young People's meeting.. So I was excited again for another YP gathering. LOL, the Lord must have an arching brows on me. Hey child, you are excited for the meeting not because of the spiritual enjoyment but because of a brother.. "oh sorry My Lord, it's not like that, I was enjoying every bit of life supply , at the same time enjoying the presence of a prospective brother" ha ha.

True to my thoughts , I saw him again. And for the second time, again he was late. I thought he look cuter than the last week. He was wearing red that time. He look more babier and yummier? Ha ha, forgive me for my words. Anyway, that was pure lusting on the sense. I knew I was not in love. Love was the last thing I could think on those days. I was sad that night as it turned out that we didn't have a chance to get closer. So I just concluded that there would be no chance, and anyway I had come to my senses that I am no good for him. It was only right to cut that craziness short as there was no way he would like me if he knows the real me. We went home. I made up my mind, I would erase my "crush" on him. However, fate was playing on me. After I made that vow to myself, a dorm mate called me as someone downstairs was looking for me. I was puzzled. Who would came looking for me at that almost 10 o'clock in the evening. I went down and gosh.. it was him, Zel with brother Sonny and RC. OH my God , I forgot my vow. LOL..

He came to talk and talk and know me. That was the first time, he called me my nickname, "Mie"
I guess I have told you that he is the single person in the universe who calls me that name. Until now that's what he calls me. I said why gave me that name? I am Shelo and that's my popular nickname. He said , "I want to call you Mie and I like it." He invited me to eat barbecue. So we went out to eat.

He was seen again at our dorm the next evening and the next evenings... Hmmm , he must be interested with me that time already. We talked until late hours about anything under the sun. One night, it was time for him to go home. I led him downstairs. That part of the stair was dark as the main light on the living room was switched off. He suddenly pulled me and kissed me on the lips. I was stunned. I can't move. There seemed to be a magnet pulling me to him. His lips was soft, I can remember clearly. Ha ha. I was torn between kissing back or not. I kissed back anyway. LOL. After the kiss, all I can say was, "ikaw ha"... I felt shy and just bid him goodnight. When he reached home he called me on the mobile and said, "I love You".. I answered, " You don't know anything about me .. Treat that kiss as nothing." But according to him, "for me we are on already".

Of course I love the thought. He was the first brother in faith to have a relationship with me if that was the case. However, I was hesitant. I never trusted his feelings. He knew so little of me. I maybe a charmer and so friendly, but I have a dark past and I can't gamble my self to be hurt again. I felt that I was not worthy of anybody's love anymore. My self esteem was greatly damaged. You see , I have disgraced myself with somebody who was not even worthy to be a father of my two children and was not even my boyfriend (another story..) Yes, I have two children that time already. He maybe cannot tell it from my looks and disposition, but alas Aljodon and Al'jered were already present. They were spawned by somebody I don't even want to remember anymore. However, dont get me wrong. I love my children and though they products of a great mistake, they are still blessings from the Lord. I even welcome the thought of ending growing old without a partner as long as I have my children. I have always asked for the Lord's forgiveness that I have not glorified His name and still dreamed that He would arrange me into my resting place , my eternal satisfaction.

Could he be the answer? How I wanted him to be, but of course I would hurt myself if he is not the one. So I avoided him as much as I can. But Zel kept on coming back for me while I kept on hiding and giving alibis. Finally, I had the courage to talk to him and I thought that would be the last. I said to him, " You should not love me, I am no one whom you could be proud of in front of your family and friends.. There are lots of girls out there who are worthy of your affection.." But His answer touched me, " Mie, I know you are afraid because of your past. If you are thinking of your two sons, why bother? Have you thought that I have no knowledge of it?, Of course, many from the church know about your past, how could I not? But I don't mind if you have two children, I can accept them, they are from the Lord. I love you Mie, please believe me".. Tears fell down and I started crying and there and then I knew love blossomed..

How I thanked the Lord for the answered prayer. Right that moment I gave him my heart, my love and affection which grew through the joys and pains of relationship. I have found the one my heart longs for. The one who could make me at home in his heart.

Hmm, I hope my story did not bore you. So, are you telling your story too? Visit COUPLE'S CORNER for more. See you next week!

Tuesday eManna: Eating and Drinking Christ

I have random posts every Tuesday, posting only what comes into mind. However, after the reflections on the happenings of our today's environment, I decided that I would post my reflections on the word of the Lord every Tuesday of the Week. To make this a double digest, I decided to make this a meme and would call it , "Tuesday eManna". To know what is Manna , know it here.

Today's eManna:

(1)And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. (2) And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life...
Rev 22:1-2

Every day we must eat and drink. The same is true with our spiritual life. In the Bible there are the river of life and the tree of life. The river of life is for our drinking, and the tree of life is for our eating. The river of life is a picture of Christ as the Spirit of life, and the tree of life is a picture of Christ as the supply of life to man in the form of food. God has no intention for us to worship Him in a religious way [like prostrating ourselves, or performing some rituals] . His intention is that we would take in Christ as food and drink. By enjoying our God as food and drink, Christ as the Spirit and life comes into us.

When the divine life comes into us, we are regenerated; we have God's life, and we become God's sons. To be a Christian is not a matter of fulfilling certain religious obligations or reforming our behavior.
[If you are a monkey, you cannot become human by reforming yourself. The only way to be human is to be born with a life from human parents] . In the same way, we do not become sons of God by doing anything, but by receiving God's life into us.

Day by day as we eat and drink of Christ, we will grow in the divine life. In this way we will be a people who are filled with God and will eventually express God in our living. This is the meaning of the Christian life.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from “Christ is Spirit and Life” pp. 15-16. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA (Repeat 12/11/97)

You are free to share words of the Lord here. If you are joining don't forget to sign on the Mr. Mcklinky below with the link of your own post so I would be able to visit your posts and enjoy the Lord's words. You can also put the Mcklinky in your own post, just follow the instructions so you can get the code. Thanks for sharing along.

Thankful Notes

Hi there!!! Hope you all have a wonderful Monday today! I'm so sorry I was not able to visit your blogs last Saturday and Sunday and was not even able to post anything here. I was just feeling tired the whole weekend. Maybe it's just because I am already nearing my due date. My body is now adjusting with my growing baby. And the baby is so excited to come out. She's just so hyper inside me, always kicking and kicking.

Just want to thank some of my faithful visitors and commenter here who never fails to visit once in a while and say hello. Please know that you are all appreciated. Thanking my weekend visitors and they are the following:

1. David Funk- who is so sweet and always have the best of heart. Visit him and you'll see how great He is as a friend.

2. John- who is also nice and blogs very interesting topics. I like this blogger as when he visits here, and leaves message , his thoughts would really make me smile.

3. Sis Liz of Rodliz Nest- a very nice mommy and the author of the fun meme " Couple's Corner" Those who have not joined yet, I tell you it's not yet late to join. Have fun with us and know a lot of couples in that corner.

4. Chuchie- a great mommy blogger who writes about anything fun and worthwhile under the sun. Have known her through some memes that we both are joining. Thanks for visiting sis.

5. To all those who recently commented on my recent posts.. Your comments are richly appreciated. Hope I would be able to comment them in return.

6. To bloghoppers last weekend like: Rinto, Pentol kramat, spadan, and freedom

7. bailey- who is also a blogger friend who visits once in a while.



Moving on, Last Saturday, I was surprised why my OB-Gyne called me. I thought it was just wrongly dialed. I asked him why he called and his first line was, "Shelo when is your check-up with me? " I told him that my schedule is still this November 7. I told him that it was supposed to be this October 31 but due to the coming All Soul's day, there might be a possibility that he will be out of town so we re-sched it the next week. But then he told me, " Shelo, I just called to say thank you.." Thank you?? For what?? I was puzzled. He told me that someone called at his clinic asking for his availability for check up. He was surprised as the patient is not his old patient and was wondering how she got his number. The patient told him that she saw my posts about him on the net. I said , " oh it was not that much doc, I only did that to thank you for the wonderful care you did to me. " He answered back, " No, it's nothing shelo, I am here to do that to my patients.. If you have any problem call me anytime..but what you did touch me a lot. Thank you so much Shelo, I am reading it now"

Oh, I was not really thinking that Dr. Cañaveral would be able to read it. I wrote it by heart and not really thinking that he would be able to read it. But, well he did. You see that doctor is really one of a kind. He extended his appreciation at small things like that. I am really happy and thankful that the Lord has brought me into his care. If you want to know a little about my OB-Gynecologist, please try to read this one and know that there's only a few like him.

I was not able to post a memory verse yesterday, so I'll do it today. ...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17

Amen, praise the Lord that He is good and His love endures forever.

Friday Photo Flashback No. 12

Yay!!! Friday Photo Flashback again hosted by Alicia. A wonderful corner to showcase pre-digital photos that holds thousand precious memories. I love this meme so much.. Have not joined yet? Visit Here and put your posts links at the Mr. Linky so we can enjoy your old photos too.

OUR BABIES WILL REMAINS BABIES IN OUR HEARTS..

It is a reality that if we could, we will hold on to the idea that we could freeze the time and let our babies be babies for longer. Having a baby is like falling in love again, both with your husband and your child. Though we have number of sleepless nights and tiring days, it's always a joy to take care of them. They are the tiniest thing we ever decided to put our whole life into.

Having babies is fun, but babies grow up into people. They are growing so fast that one day they will be starting to have their own family. We will miss the times when they were so bubbly and cuddly. There would be times when they will start to feel shy whenever we kiss them on public. They will simply grow and quit to be babies. You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once. But as a mother, though they may grow up to be great people someday, they will remain babies in my heart. I will remain their loving mother and will be here for them till my last breath.

So now, my flashback would be my babies' old photos.. I like to cherish them and remember them while they were so young and fragile.

My second son, Al'jered Nicolas when he was only months old. I love this photo as I miss him feeding from my breast. He is my only child who has been breast-fed by me.

This is Alikah, when she was only about 2 mos old. Now she is 4 years old.

For my eldest sorry I have no scanner now to scan his baby photo. But if I have a chance I'll show it to you. He was a premature baby, only weighing 2 lbs when I gave birth to him. The Lord has raised him to be a fair young man today. Aljodon is 10 years old now.

Kuya Aljodon (we call "kuya" for the eldest/older boys in the family) here is 2 years old plus with Al'jered 1 year old plus.

Mommy Moments : Tantrums, Trantrums

Friday again, another Mommy Moments . Praise the Lord for His mercies ever new. The Lord has been faithful in providing all the needs of our family. This week's theme for MM is all about our kid's tantrums. Kids can be so fuzzy and cranky and their moods have a lot of swings.

Talking about tantrums, I have loads of it from my daughter. She is the kind of girl who's mood changes dramatically. She loves to get all the attention. If you failed to give it to her, she will start making your head achy and achy and achy. You may wonder why I always feature my daughter here in MM and less occasions talking about my boys. Pardon me for that , it is not what you think. You might say the girl is my favorite. Of course I love all my children. It just so happen that my boys did not grow with me and do not stay with me but with my mother in the province. That is why I have little to tell about them.

Back to tantrums, I have not taken a lot of photos of her with those , but she certainly has a lot of them..

like this one.. she cried at the mall cause she wanted to go home

and this as she did not want her outfit.. , "I don't like this Mama, take it off from me"

and here, she did not want to put on clothes as she was annoyed with her yaya..

How about your kids? Do they have a lot of tantrums too? Join us at Mommy Moments and share their stories with us.

Note: This was composed last week. I was so advance in topic, that when I saw at Mommy Chris post about mall trips , I suddenly make a new entry.LOL..

52 Weeks Challenge: 3/52

Gosh, I almost forgot the challenge. Silly forgetful me. LOL. Good thing that I was able to visit Alicia's entry on the challenge that I have been reminded.



As I say, I decided to participate in this year-round challenge hosted by Carin of Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal of this challenge is for us moms to have at least one photo with the children once a week. Do you want to challenge yourself too? Join us here.

So here's my photo with my little girl. I have to stop here from reviewing just to take this photo.

Super Instant again..

Look at her, she is complaining on why do we have to take more than one photo.