Loving others more than yourself

If you are around us enough you will notice that dessert does not happen often in our home, so when we have sweets, well it's special.  Today was one of those days.  I felt the need to make sneaker doodles again since I got such high compliments from my crew the first attempt:)

Daniel happens to have a sweet tooth and if you put anything with sugar in front of him it disappears quickly.  So needless to say that cookie was gone before milk was served.  Once he saw there was milk to go with the cookie, well logically he needed to have another cookie to have with his milk...

So tension builds up and decisions are made and not eating his cookie slow enough has consequences.  When we determine he was not having another cookie I decided that I would share a piece of my cookie.  

That's when it happen...Elena beat me and before I cut my piece off she was already handing her brother a piece of hers followed by, "I did it!!!!  Did what you might ask.  She chose to love her brother more than herself and she knew it.  So we celebrated with her.  

The simple things in this life are sometimes just that, days when we overcome our sinful tendencies and are lead by His Holy Spirit. 

Painting with Toddlers

I love painting.  There is something relaxing about taking color and creating something.  I especially love abstract because you can do whatever and come up with something cool looking.  Projects that are micro-detailed are the best for me but now a days we just stick to large areas of the same color.  

So today for CC we learned about Grandma Moses who didn't even start her painting till she was in her 70's which she taught herself how to do.  I'm inspired and hopeful that in my old age I can still do things to leave as a legacy for our kiddos.  

Painting with 4 kiddos 5 and under well that's another story.  It's fast and furious with more paint on the furniture than the actual paper I give them.  You get a mix of good memories with caos and re-directing the kids to follow the initial directions.  

Something sweet about today's painting lesson was watching Elena copy my picture and try to make hers like mine :)  Daniel on the other hand has his own sense of style and went abstract on me.  He is all boy mixed with some sweetness in him.  Samuel, well he tried but mixing the paint in the water and transferring to other cups was more interesting than painting on the paper.

Mine and Elena's picture.

All of our paintings: starting from the top: Daniel/Elena/Mom/Samuel on bottom.

Sick Times

Sick times are not pleasant or pretty but as we go through them I have learned several things that make this time in our lives easier to go through.

1. My God and Savior is there with me, sustaining me, guiding me and refining me. 

2. I almost always see His perfect timing and work in my life.  It's beautiful even when it's my ugly sin plain and clear I have learned to be thankful that I see my weakness and rejoice that He is faithful and loving towards me in these times. 

3. I always learn something about Him and about my sinfulness in the mist of the sleepless nights.

Sick with the flu:(

Even when this guy is sick I can count on that sweet smile:)

Mya

Our newest family addition she was born May 22, 2014

More of Mya: here she is outside watching her siblings have fun :)

Getting some Big sister time :)

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Bradfords update

So a lot has happened since the last time I posted on here :). You could say we have added to our number by a whole lot and all the crazies and fun that come with having four kiddos 5 and under.

Crazy to think how much our Jesus has given and continues to give us.  In awe of His goodness toward us.   

Let me introduce you the kiddos :) 

 Elena is our oldest 5 years old, following is Daniel who will be 4 very soon(such a big boy) then there is Samuel who is 2 and sweet Mya who is 8 months old :)

Elena Grace Mendoza Bradford

Baby

Gaby Sonogram