Summer update

Here is what has been going on...

July 4th:
We didn't do anything but I was able to take pictures of my children.

July 11th:
Earlier this day, we went to Party City and tried out some cool mustache glasses just for the fun of it. Why not? I enjoyed spending time with my kids. I try to make it memorable but I need to do it often, you know? I think what I am trying to say is that I want to spend time with my loved ones because I'll never know what the day holds. Cherish your time with your loved ones and friends... 

Then... later on that day, I decided to video my kids memorizing their first ever Bible verse! Yep, that's John 3:16!

A little about the reason behind this video, Joanna and Peter's are in the same Sunday school class and their teacher told me that they needed to memorized John 3:16. So for that week (July 6th-11th) I tried to have them be prepared for when it was time for them to recite it to their class. I think they were kind of ready that day...anyway, here's a sneak peak! 




July 14th:
We went to Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day. Our first time and I enjoyed eating FREE food with awesome friends! The kids and I got all dressed up (except for Matt). And yes, he had to pay for his own meal. Ha! His lost, right?Sorry, I didn't get to take any pictures to show of our whole family... at least, I got one of Andrew.

July 16th:
I was playing around with Photoshop just to make my kids look like they're flying. It was a fun thing to do! It still needs a lot of editing but I couldn't help share it so I left it as is. Ha! Anyway, here's what my conversation was with them.

Me: Where are y'all flying to?
Joanna: to discover the dinosaurs
Peter: at the Dinosaur Park

July 19th:
We attended our late pastor's son, Timothy Gillespie's wedding. And, by chance, Matt pinned a boutonniere on Josh's suspenders and had the honor to pinned one for his brother Tim (the groom) too. He enjoyed that privilege. I would have captured those sweet moments but I didn't know so I'm glad the photographer took pictures of them. We sure love these two fine Gillespie men!

Tim and Diana's wedding was beautiful, and not only that, they are such a beautiful couple too!

Also, it has been a couple of years since we have been at Grace Baptist Church. It was so nice to finally reconnect. ❤ 

July 27th:
I made a carrot cake for Grandma Guerra. I know that she could careless about celebrating her birthday but it didn't felt right not doing anything for her. I wanted to take the time to make it a little special. It's not much but it's the thought that counts, right? 




July 31st:

We celebrate 11 years by spending the day ziplining and dining out.

August 3rd:

We decided to visit First Texas Indian Baptist Church in Livingston, Texas. We always enjoyed visiting The Parker Family (family of 14) who are currently ministering to the Indians. Surprisingly, Joanna participated with singing upfront and not surprisingly Matt had the opportunity to preach. Me? Oh, I just sat and took pictures so that you can enjoy them. Heh! 

August 4th:
Andrew had his eye check-up. Right now, I have to continue to patch his good eye to strengthen the weak eye. If his weak eye doesn't correct itself then he'll be needing another eye surgery but this one will be on the surface of his eye.

August 5th:
I made a lemon pie for Grandpa Guerra. I added more lemons than usual because he loves it lemony-lemony!

August 7th:

I took pictures just to send them to my mom on her birthday since we didn't get to stop by and visit with her. I ended up catching Andrew smiling! Just look at Andrew smiling! Too precious not to share. 
❤

August 21st:
Andrew is scheduled for his next surgery. His testes are out of place so they will move that where it belongs and to get circumcision at the same day. Please, if you think of him.. will you take the time to pray? Your prayers are greatly appreciated! Thanks and much love to you! 

Update on Surgery

The surgery went well. Praise the Lord!

It was interesting to find out that Andrew's cyst was 1cm instead of 5mm as they thought. So, basically... his cyst was a little bigger. Besides, the surgeon said it was easily removed. Everything went well. Also, the bottom eyelids didn't need any work.

In these pictures, Andrew appeared to be awake but he's actually sleeping. It's weird to see him like this. As you can tell, he looks different already. We will have to help lubricate his eyes to keep them from drying since they are open and to keep him from rubbing them. Of course, give medicine for pain.

They took very good care of him and we were able to go home.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! ❤

June 5th surgery

Update on Andrew: 

Andrew is scheduled for surgery this Friday at 6 in the morning. Due to his Ptosis (droopy eyelids), his oculoplastic surgeon will do a Frontalis Sling Silicone Suspension, to help open his eyes. 

He also has a 5mm cyst on the bottom right brow. That will be removed too. They are going to see if he has extra skin on the bottom of his eyelids, if he does, then they'll fix that also. 

How wonderful it is to know that Andrew’s surgeon is one of the Top Ten Doctors (Ophthalmologists) in America!? I’m very grateful for Him choosing one of the best! 

Results from EEG and MRI:

EEG- is normal 

MRI- the neurologist saw everything on the midline that is very common with Chromosome 18p- such as development delays. Other than that, all we know is that a small part of the occipital lobe is missing which affects the vision. However, Andrew’s Pediatric Opthalmologist says that he doesn’t have that problem and that he can see. I don’t know how else to explain it. I’m just amazed! Miracle, perhaps?

ENDO- Andrew has gained a pound! There was no mentioned of him needing to be admitted. Instead, growth hormones were mentioned. 

God is faithful!

Thank you for your love and prayers! Will update you after his surgery and his recovery.

After looking at one of the picture above (drawing). You'll see what Andrew's Neurologist drew. I'll try and explain.

It's complicated for me to explain. Maybe next time, I will show you a better part of the brain in 3D (gotta ask the neurologist for those pictures). Here, I am showing you where he circled the missing part of his occipital lobe.

On the bottom right, he circled (in dashed) the part that's missing. You'll see that he's crossed that part out with an X.

The question mark is for what he doesn't know... he doesn't know how that part of the brain which piece is missing is communicating. In other words, he doesn't know if it's sending information to the right and left part of the brain.

Well... for whatever reasons, it's sending information. You know why? Because he can see!! I don't know how else to make sense of it... that's the best I can say. His eye doctor says his vision isn't affected and he can see. How do you explain that? WOW. It's amazing isn't it? I think it's miracle somewhat.

#GodIsAble #OnlyHeCanDo

Matt sang "He Didn't Come Down"

Just thought I'd share. Matt did a special on April 26th, 2015 with Pastor Burkholder (pianist). I should have carried my tripod. Please, excuse my poor video.


If you click on the video screen, it will play. To get a better quality, hover over the video while it's playing and you will noticed the bottom right has what looks like a circle "sun" shaped icon. Click on that. It will open and show you Speed and Quality. Click on Quality. Changed it to 360p for better video quality. I hope this helps. Sorry for the inconvenience.

March - April 7th updates

Thanks to my dear friend... who has texted me to post on my blog. You know who you are! Love you!! Well... anyway, a lot has been going on. I don't know where to start. It will be alittle out of order but here's an update!

March 14- 19th: We went to Galveston on my aunt Linda's Spring Break on the week of March 15th. We stayed at my aunt Bertha's beach house and then stayed at her house in Houston. My kids went swimming in her backyard and then we went to the Houston Rodeo afterwards. It was nice to see all the smiles on my children's faces! They had a blast!  Here's what we did:

Galveston: Beach, Shops at The Strand, Rainforest Cafe, Playground, Moody Gardens and 3D Theatre Films.

Houston: Rodeo Carnival, Indoor Playground and Swimming at my aunt Bertha's hot tub/pool which overlooked the lake.

I love watching my children have fun and who knew that I would enjoy the kiddie rides? 

March 26th: Andrew had his Endo check-up. He weighted 11 pounds and that was 6 months ago He had a check up this day, and he's still weighting in on 11 pounds. The doctor shared my concerns.  He is thinking of sending him back to see the GI. Send me to get his blood work done too. The Endo doctor also referred me to a nutritionist so that he can get the calories that he needs. The Endo doctor wants me to check back with him on Andrew's weight a month from now. Which is April 21st. If Andrew does not gain, he will be admitted.

March 28th: I attended DeafNation which was held in Austin. Not too far from where I am staying. About 30 miles away. Anyway, I was able to meet a few of my friends who work there selling their products and all. I even got to meet a few successful deaf. I always enjoy attending DeafNation events. They do travel to other states. So if you are interested in attending, then check out their website at www.deafnation.com The good thing about going? It's FREE! That's to yours and my advantage.

Here are the successful deafies that I met, they are:
Katie Leclerc, Actress: played Daphne from ABC Family's Switched at Birth
Chef Tom Scuderi, he uses American Sign Language while giving out instructions on how to cook some recipes through his videos. What a neat idea!
Patti Singleton, my first deaf counselor and now friend. Still works at ACC! Met her back circa 1997. It was so good to reconnect and catch up with her. 
Karen Issacs, actress for The Deaf Club (Rustic Lantern Films)
Matt Daigle is a deaf cartoonist, designer and illustrator, the creator of the popular "That Deaf Guy" comic strip.
Enjoyed meeting and talking with Matt. Since meeting him, I've been reading his comics online. Been laughing a lot since I can relate to most of them! You can check out his comic strip at www.ThatDeafGuy.com or on Facebook www.fb.com/thatdeafguycomic

March 29th: was my birthday and I ain't telling you how old I am! Nope, that's for you to guess. HeeHee (wink wink)
So my mom came over to drop me off a cake, presents and generous gifts. My mother-in-law gave me a generous gift too. My aunt will take me out this Friday and my husband will make up for not taking me anywhere. Well, okay.. it was on a Sunday and I was tired for whatever reasons. Jokingly, my father-in-law said I am getting OLD. Geez, thanks!

March 30th: Andrew saw the Neurologist for the first time. He wants Andrew to get his MRI and EEG. He said that the size of his head is that of a 3 month old. (Just so you know, Andrew is small and does wear 3 months old clothing. He is now 16 months). He wants those x-rays taken to make sure everything is okay with his brain and all.

March 24th and April 2nd: I was doing a small part in showing my support for Texas State School for the Deaf by going to the State Capitol. What did I do? Talk to my District Senator and Representative. Last week, Senator Charles Schwertner was wrapped up in committee hearings and legislative business. So I met with one of his staff, Taylor Borer, who handles TSD issues.
On April 2nd, I met with my District Representative Tony Dale. I think both meetings went well regarding TSD's budget request.

Next thing I plan on doing, Rally for TSD at the Capitol on April 27th.

For more information:
www.facebook.com/TreasureTSD1857 or http://treasuretsd.org

April 5th: We attended church and afterwards went to my aunt Linda's house to eat lunch. Since it was raining, we stayed inside and the kids played with toys my aunt had for them. She also gave them some Easter candies. They loved it! I didn't get to take a good family picture of us this Easter because Andrew was fussy. So no Easter family pictures this year.  Hopefully, next time!

I'm glad that I had time today to make an update on my blog. Thanks to Eileen! Oops. Here Hee Love you lots!

All in between I have been keeping busy. When I can I do like to cook and bake. Matt has been working a lot. We still haven't joined a church yet but we have been attending a church. That's about all I can think of right now. Eventually, when something comes to my mind, I'll remember to mentioned that on here.

Here are the pictures in random orders:

December flew by...

... kind of fast! Don't you think? Anyway, on December 14th, 2014, we took our family photos. I sent out this picture to a few dear friends and family. Then I posted one on Facebook and my blog to share with everyone else. Most of my family and friends just look at them online. You know?

Anyway, the kids did good even Peter. They were in a good mood. Joanna wouldn't smile with her teeth. Sad. I asked why. She said she didn't want to look funny. Really?! Seriously?! I told her next time to smile with her teeth showing. SIGHS. I must have said something to make her not smile big. I think it was that one time I told her that she looked funny or something. Wow, who would have thought a four year old girl would think like that and be conscious of her smiles?

Off the subject, I used to be good at blogging. Not so anymore. Although, I find myself blogging once a month now. At least you still get to be up-to-date with me. It all depends on what's going on with my family.

Andrew is still going to all his therapies. In fact, he'll be scheduled for his eye surgery soon. Please keep him in prayers. I'll definitely post when he's scheduled. It looks like it'll be sometimes this year or a couple of months from now.

Sorry I have to cut this short. I am typing with a fussy baby. I'll be back... let's hope this week. Hugs

8 more days until Christmas

Who's counting? Apparently, I am!  Ha. (clears throat)

Okay, so ever since I set up the Christmas tree. Joanna has been asking if it's Christmas yet. I kept telling her "NO". Then I marked off the days that are over and started the countdown.

I just started wrapping some presents. I thought I was done with Christmas shopping but I am not. I still have one more to go. Plus, I will have to get something for Peter's birthday which is on the 23rd. I.Kid.Not! He was born on the 23rd. My "Christmas" baby. *sighs* Sooo.... with that being said, I'll go shopping for another gift just for his birthday. It's only fair. Poor little guy. I think I will have to celebrate his birthday another day when he gets older and have friends, you know? No one will want to come over to his birthday party if I celebrate it on the 23rd. Come on! Everyone wants to be with family. True.

Then I figured I haven't been blogging. So I decided to change my background to make it fit in with the Christmas theme and blog a little. Being a mother of three small children is a lot of work. My kids constantly need me. They want a lot of attention. Sometimes I have my me time, I usually like to sit down and use my laptop. I LOVE technology. It offers A LOT of wealth of information and all. You know what I mean, right? Like right now, you can use it to read the news, shop online, research... on and on. I love it when my kids can allow me to sit down and have this kind of time. They usually like to play or watch educational cartoons. I always check on them to make sure they aren't doing anything dangerous.... like jumping on the bed (which they like to do) and who knows what?

Not only that, I am kind of spoiled with staying at my in-laws. Yes, we are still living with them. Eventually, we'll get a place of our own. I know it will be hard for my in-laws when the day comes when we do move. My children love their grandparents. When grandma leaves to go to the store, Joanna cries. It is hard for my mother-in-law to leave her. She just can't bear when her granddaughter cries. In fact, she'll cry too. SIGHS. Anyway, do I know when we'll be moving? No, not yet. Not anytime soon since Matt just started working a different job for a couple of months now. Until then...

What's new?  Well, I don't know where to start. Nothing major has happened yet. So there's no big news as of now. But a lot has been happening. Like things my children says and does.  They are changing. Growing. They look different. And when they do, I have to remind myself that we are changing too. NoooooOooooOOooo!!!!!  Whhhhhhhy Oh Whhhhhy?!?!  Why what you may think? Okay, why do we have to grow OLD? Who wants to grow old?  I wish we can stay young looking forever. Yep, wishful thinking. Even though some people think I look younger than I actually am. I find myself looking at products that can keep me young. I started looking at creams and stuff like that already. When I smiled. I noticed my forehead has a lot of wrinkles. I was like... that's UGLY! Goodness. What can I do to minimize my wrinkly forehead?! You'll see when I take a picture.

So I went to the thrift store to buy some cheap toys for my kids. Well, I was in a hurry and pressed the key to automatically closed the sliding door. A lady started waving a me and I'd gestured I couldn't hear her. Then she moved her mouth to let me know that I left my van door opened. I grab Joanna and then Peter and put them in the back of the cart and rushed out the store to make sure I get to my van in time. I didn't want anyone to steal anything. I do have a few expensive items like the carseats, baby carrier and stroller. Then of course, my van. Thankfully, the Lord send that sweet lady over my way. She didn't have to say a thing. You know? So I thanked the Lord for even little things like this.

Little things can add up and for the little things I am grateful. For example: I have been wanting a yellowish-mustard cardigan. They go well with some of my clothing. I like to collect different colors. I am always wearing black and white for the most part and need to start expanding my ware robe. Not that it's important or anything but I do like to look nice. I'm used to shopping at the thrifts. My grandma has taught me well. Anyway, I bought a mustard cardigan for $2 bucks! Then I went home and found a stain on it, I didn't see that stain before. So I took out the "Shout It Out" and sprayed it hoping that the stain will come off. And it did! YAY! The Lord saved this just for me! No wonder no one bought it because of the stain. I love that it was 50% off. He loves me, right?!

Another interesting day... Matt comes home from work. Joanna thought it was her grandma. She listens to the garage door opening and runs over to see if grandma has arrived home from work. Nope. It was daddy. Matt asked Joanna if she misses him. Believe it or not, she didn't! Ha! That little girl is something. She favors her grandma A LOT. And I know why. Because grandma spoils her rotten. Yep. There's a different between being a parents versus grandparents.

So... we are still looking for a church to join. We did find two but now we are leaning towards one. We still are praying about it. Both are good. KJV. Traditional. One has over 100 members and the other has around 30-40 members. In the meantime, we'll be hopping back and forth from these two churches until the Lord gives us the final say.  I'm like... if we get tired of one, we'll go to the other. Visa versa. Hee hee but of course I know better and that's not how it works. I just wanted to throw that in.

Also, today... I decided to purchased Young Living oils. I have my doubts but my friends from Georgia told me about them. I have heard of them before. I was even going to go to a friend's house to learn more about it. I decided to wait. I don't really know what to think about them. I still have my doubts then again I hear good things. The Cheek family use it for many things. I am grateful for Godly Christian friends. I know I can trust them. They have used it. So this will be my Christmas gifts. Thanks to my wonderful sweet thoughtful husband! It is pricey but I hope it'll be worth it. Of course, I'll share you my experience once I've tried it for myself. So.... I can't comment about it yet.

I guess that's about all I have to update you with. Other than, I just took my family pictures again this past Sunday. I'll be sharing it sometimes next week. Okay??