The Montalbo Family

Elfed

2010-11-11T13:08:00.000-06:00

Halloween Haunted Gingerbread Houses

2010-10-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night we had a blast making "Haunted Gingerbread Houses".

I had gathered up supplies earlier in the week:

graham crackers (I looked at 5 different stores for chocolate grahams but never found them. It ended up making no difference in the end.)
chocolate frosting
candy for decorating. I got a bag of Brach's Autumn Mix, plain M&Ms, and black licorice.

I hot glued the houses together and then we got busy decorating.

Mimi supervised.

Everyone was busy decorating their houses. Some were more serious than others.

Our distinguished panel of judges had a hard time deciding.

Reid's house

Stella's house

Stella's house was declared finished in the above pictures, but one thing lead to another and she soon found herself filling the inside of her house to the ceiling with indian corn.

That was about the time "Hoarders" called to see if they could shoot a special Halloween episode on-site...

Mommy's house

It ended up in a 3 way tie...

...but "The World's Cutest Baby" won by a landslide.

This was such a fun relaxed activity, we will definitely be doing this again at Christmastime. I will ~~never~~ at least not for a long time buy one of those pre-made kits again. They are way too much work and I feel like I end up doing most of it by myself. Let me know if you end up making these. We'll be working on these cuties this weekend!

Friday Funnies

2010-06-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

Some things I've been hearing around here lately...

At the cash register at Chick-fil-A placing our order. I turn to Reid...

Me: What do you want to eat?

Reid: A hamburger.

***

Stella's drinking a smoothie that is too thick for her to suck up through her straw. Handing it to me she shakes her head in disgust. "Here. I can't trust it."

***

Another day. Another smoothie. This time she bit her straw, so she can't suck it.

S: It's all tangled up!

***

Friday Funnies In Pictures

2010-05-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

If you give a girl a bag of Craisins,

she's going to need some scissors to open them.

So she'll get out the scissors,

but after several failed attempts she still won't be able to get them open.

So she'll cut SOMETHING ELSE instead!

OH, YES! SHE. WILL.

And then the Mom, who has been cleaning the bathroom,

will come out and find hair in the hallway.

She will hope and pray as she walks briskly into the next room that

somehow her daughter got her hair wrapped around a doorknob

and ripped it out.

Or even that a tiger escaped from the zoo, crashed in through a window,

and ate all of her daughter but a lock of hair.

When she discovers what her daughter has done,

she will cry.

The daughter will say,"Don't cry, Mommy,"

as if the Mother is being ridiculous.

Then she will pose sweetly for pictures of her new 'do

like she has never done before or since.

THE END

Friday Funnies... Sort Of

2010-04-30T22:03:00.003-05:00

Reid was looking at some nesting blocks Stella was playing with.

R: "Aww. This blue one has some cracks in it."

Me: "Yeah probably, those were mine when I was a baby."

R: "Oh, so they ARE old!"

***

Stella and I were in Target checking out. The cashier was a bigger-boned lady. Since I was running my credit card through and getting my bags I was tuning Stella's chatter out. My ears finally tuned in to hear her saying, "Look at that lady, Mommy. She's big!"

"That lady is big, Mommy. Look!"

Over. And over.

Until I said, "Okay Stella."

We had a long talk in the parking lot about hurting people's feelings with our words. I was so embarrassed, I'm still not sure if this is funny.

Friday Funnies - Dog Edition

2010-03-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

Around Christmas time we were sitting at the home of some people from our church. Stella was perusing their pantry and happened to find some animal cookies, which they told her she could have.

Then on a higher shelf she spied more cookies.

Better cookies.

They were gingerbread men with icing drizzled on them and sprinkles too. She took one and went and sat quietly at the bar to eat her cookie. No one thought anything of it until mid-cookie when Dana (the homeowner) turned around and said, "Um. Those are cookies for the dog."

***

We went to our friends house for dinner one night. They have a chihuahua named Peanut. Apparently Stella didn't understand. She spent the entire night walking around calling him, "Penis Dog! Come here, Penis!"

Friday Funnies

2010-01-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

Reid is VERY into these books lately. He's always got his nose in one and will even turn down playing video games to read one! On the way to school the other day we were discussing his book (Only because I made him leave it at home so I could talk to him!). He was telling me about the time a sea monster attacked them and how they fought it off. Then he shakes his head and says very seriously, "That's the life of a pirate. They see things we can only imagine."

***

Stella wants to say the prayer before dinner: "Dear Gob, Thank you for Sella. Amen."

Amen.

Friday Funnies

2009-12-11T00:00:00.003-06:00

Our Christmas tree has been up for a couple of weeks now. We stratigically place all the "kid" ornaments at the bottom of the tree so it's okay when little hands touch them. Stella has been very busy playing with the ornaments and it is not uncommon for me to find the ornaments off their hooks and nestled in the branches.

One morning as I was putting them back on their branches I said aloud, "Hmmm. Someone took Snow White off the tree. Who took Snow White off her hook?"

Stella (standing not far away) turned and said defensively, "I didn't touch it!"

Hmmm...

***

I know my Friday Funnies usually come from my children, but sometimes it's the adults in the house that produce the best material...

So, as you know, in August I had a baby and I've been working out and slowly losing the weight. The other day, I was wearing a pair of yoga pants and Todd got home from work and we were talking. I had started to walk away and he says, "Your butt looks big in those pants!"

(crickets)

He quickly realizes that what he meant to say, was not in fact, what came out. "SMALL! I meant small!" He swears that's what he really meant, but I don't know if I'll be wearing those pants anytime soon.

Friday Funnies

2009-11-20T00:00:00.002-06:00

Stella was eating a brownie for dessert.

Todd asked her if he could could have some.

S: No response.

Again. Todd says," Stella, can I have some of your brownie?"

S: Ignoring him.

T: "Can Daddy have some?"

S: sighing, "Daddy. Shhh!"

***

I was getting Stella in the car to go get Reid. I picked her up and she tooted on my arm.

M: "Stella, did you toot?"

S: "No, I FARTED!" *giggles*

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-03T21:04:00.008-06:00

This year my kids had big dreams of store-bought costumes. I was so sad because I loved making Stella's costume so much last year, I was really looking forward to making something again this year for both of them. With everything else we had going on, I knew I had to, but still hated to let it go. I did make Stella's headband cover, Reid's mustache, and Nash's costume. Also, Stella got her costume several weeks before Halloween and wore it daily. With all the repairs I did to it, I may as well have made it.

Reid chose to be Super Mario and Stella wanted to be "Snow Wipe". They were so excited to dress up!

Sometimes "CHEEEESE!!" looks painful.

Super Mario.

Still a little sick Snow White.
Stella really got into "trick or treating" this year. She made a rapid recovery and ran with Reid from house to house. She started out saying "Trick or Treat!" then halfway through switched to "Happy Halloween!"

All those poor, stupid, unsuspecting people in their houses, they would open their doors and see this sweet looking 2-year-old on their doorstep. Most would bend down and hold out the bowl, allowing her to choose her own candy.

Her hand would go quick as it could, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I would say, "Okay, Stella. That's enough."

Her little hand would go faster. Okay, Stella. Stop!"

Faster Still. We would carry her away to the next house, allowing the dumbfounded homeowner to shut the door and stare into their now empty bowl.

After a couple streets, Todd headed home with the two little ones while Reid and I hit one more street. After that he pronounced himself done and said he wanted to go back home and hand out candy.

Todd and I sat in the living room and laughed as he would open the door and deliver safety messages to trick-or-treaters.

"Have a safe Halloween!"

"Happy Halloween! And you guys be careful out there!"

"Be safe!"

Ahh. He's going to make SUCH a good old man.

And here's our little Strong Man, who slept soundly through the festivities...

Starting him on CrossFit early.
Sugar Rush.

Friday Funnies

2009-10-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm totally copying Kirby's idea for the Apel's Friday Funnies on this one.

Reid usually picks out his clothes at night so he can just get up and get dressed quickly for school. One night, since it was predicted to be cool the next day I threw a hoodie over the chair his clothes were sitting on. In the morning, he got up, got dressed, and went to school. In the car on the way home from school, Reid took off his jacket. I busted out laughing. I asked him if he had taken off his jacket at school today. Still giving me a weird look, he nods his head. Poor boy had his shirt on backwards all day!

*****

Reid comes in from feeding Lea (our dog).

Reid: Something's wrong with Lea. She's not eating her food again.

Me: Well, what do you think it is?

R: I don't know. I know she's not pregnant cause she had that rib removed.

*****

Another day. I'm preparing dinner and Stella and Nash are both hungry, tired, and crying. Reid comes inside from playing with Lea.

R: Lea looks stressed out.

M: Oh yeah? Does she look like me?

R: Well, the line on her face isn't THAT big!

Surgery

2009-08-13T19:17:00.003-05:00

Nash's surgery will be tomorrow (Friday) morning. Please keep him and us in your prayers.

He's Here!

2009-08-06T19:32:00.004-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Nash Ezekiel Montalbo was born yesterday at 3:31pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long! He was quickly whisked off to the NICU where he was seen by his cardiologist.

Here's the report we got...

Nash will be in the NICU for the next 1-2 weeks where he will be given Prostin through his umbilical cord (How cool is that? No sticking him anywhere!) to keep open his PDA. Then in 1-2 weeks he will have surgery to remove his transverse aorta (if you click on the PDA link, in the picture the transverse part is right at the top, the arch, on the red aorta). Like they had thought before birth, Nash's whole aorta is smaller than it should be, but the transverse aorta is very narrowed (It's about 1mm in diameter.) So keeping the PDA open will bypass this part of the aorta until they can do the surgery. In this 1st surgery they will remove the transverse and then connect the ascending and descending aorta. They will probably also put a band on his pulmonary artery (since it's so much larger at it's normal size) to keep blood from backing up into his lungs. After the surgery, Nash will likely be in the ICU on a ventillator for 4 days or so. He will then be moved to another room, until he is eating normally again. His doctor said that is a big concern for infants, because they usually don't want to eat after being on the ventillator.

He will have a 2nd surgery, probably within the 1st year, to repair his VSD.

The 3rd surgery that he may have to have, in years, would be to replace his aortic valve. A normal aortic valve has 3 equal-sized leaflets and Nash's valve has 2. (I don't really know very much about this surgery or even this condition, because this was something we learned about after birth.)

So far, things are going very well. Everyone at the hospital is wonderful. Nash is eating very well. And we are hoping to learn more on Monday when the cardiologist meets with the surgeon.

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

2009-07-10T21:16:00.027-05:00

We decided to take our kids to Great Wolf Lodge this year. So, Monday morning we headed up to Grapevine, TX for our 3-night stay.

There is SO much to do there, but the main attraction is the resort's indoor waterpark. Todd and Reid rode all the wild slides over and over, while Stell and I did the more "gentle" stuff. She loved the kiddie pool, with all it's great splashing and squirting opportunies. But the family favorite was probably the wavepool.

We had an amazing time and look forward to going back again sometime!

I'm having some problems getting our videos to load, but if I get it figured out I'll put them up.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Craft Talk

2009-04-28T20:04:00.005-05:00

I had an appointment with my OB last week and they gave me my hopital registration papers to bring to my next appointment. That's HUGE because it means at my next appointment, in just 3 weeks, I'll be in my 3rd trimester. It hit me how quickly this pregnancy has gone by and how little time I have left to get ready. (And actually I have less time than that because I'll probably be induced a week early on August 5th to ensure all doctors are present at delivery.) The count is on so I've been busy cleaning, clearing out, and working on projects. I kinda feel like the girl in this video...

Here are a pair of bloomers I made for Stella today after seeing them here. I was happy with my 1st attempt at them and now I need to make a shirt to match!

Here's a sneak peek at Stella's birthday present currently underway. I'll show you the final results soon!

Eight is Great

2009-04-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Reid!

I can't believe you're a big eight-year-old boy! I remember well the day you were born. It was Easter Sunday and I had begun to feel contractions early in the morning way before my alarm went off. I, being already eight days overdue, didn't want to get my hopes up, so I got ready for church and didn't tell anyone. In church my contractions started to get a little stronger and by the time church was over I knew I would be seeing your sweet face that day! After church, Mimi and Aunt Rachel joked that you might never be born. I bet them that you would be born that very day. (In fact, I think they still owe me some money.) And later that evening you were born weighing in at a whopping 8lbs. 14oz.!!

It was love at first sight for me and even though I couldn't have imagined it, I love you more today than ever before. Daddy and I are so proud of the person you are becoming. Jesus lives in your heart and it's so evident to me in the way that you live and interact with others. Daily you convict and teach me more about His love. Your heart is tender and I pray that it will stay that way throughout your life. I can't wait to see how He uses you.

You love your sister unconditionally and without reservation. She's so lucky to have you to look up to and help guide her through her own life. She loves you so much.

You love life and like to have fun, but never at anyone's expense. You are always careful to include others and make sure everyone feels loved. At times you can worry too much and I want you to realize you can't always make everything right in this world. I love your passion for life. I am enjoying so much watching you grow. I pray that I would make the most of every moment with you and always be open and ready to teach you the truth according to our Heavenly Father and not the lies of this world. I love you so much sweet boy!

He is Risen!

2009-04-13T14:01:00.004-05:00

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -Romans 5:6-8

Here is our Easter weekend 2009. The pictures start on Friday night while we were dyeing eggs. They include pictures from our church egg hunt on Saturday and then pictures from Easter Sunday. (Pause my Playlist while you view the pictures.)

On Easter, Travis and Kelly came over to eat and hang out with us. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-11T16:12:00.003-05:00

Whew! Spring Break was a blur of activity. We stayed in Austin for the first part of the week then headed down to Boerne on Tuesday night to pack in all the fun! (Avery has more pictures over on her blog.)

On Wednesday we headed down to the Children's Museum. My kids love that place.

Driving the trolley.

Inside a bubble.

Digging for fossils.

Two cute cows...

... and their cowboy.

Milking a cow.

Shopping at the HEB children's market.

The passengers are ready for take-off Captain Reid.

----------

Thursday, we went to the zoo. We rode the train and, of course, saw all the animals.

Stella was suspicious of that lion cub.

It's tradition.

The zoo bunch (minus our photographer, Mimi).

-----------

Friday, Daddy took off of work and joined us to go to Sea World! Below is one of the only pics I got at Sea World. Whoops! The girls watched Sesame Street Live, while the boys rode coasters.

On Saturday, we went to Scenic Loop Cafe to see a bunch of old friends.

Stella fell on her face about 5 times this week.
She had bruises all over it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually the week AFTER Spring Break, on Kirby's way home she drove through Austin and we met up for lunch at Jason's Deli and a little playground time. This was the only clear picture I got of these two. We don't get to see these people often enough!

The others looked like this....

You Have To Hear This!

2009-04-09T19:53:00.005-05:00

Photo courtesty of freefoto.com

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. -2 Corinthians 5:21

I listened to this sermon yesterday. So fitting for this week.

Listen. You won't be sorry.

Then when you're done, go back and listen to them all. The series is called "Pray Like Jesus" and it's a good one. (Kirby recommended these.) You can download them by clicking on the download tab and then put them on your iPod or a cd. When I get to the page I just click "Play Audio Only" if I'm going to listen to them directly from the website.

He Has A Name!

2009-04-04T11:13:00.002-05:00

First, apologies to all of you who liked Declan. That was never in the running because Todd vetoed it immediately. You can thank Avery for getting your hopes up though!

Fortunately, this time around we had several boys names that (we thought) were really cool so choosing was a bit easier than having a few we sorta liked. And we've decided on....

Nash Ezekiel

Nash because we love it. And Ezekiel because it means "God will strengthen" or "strength of God". Also, did you know that the phrase “know that I am God” is used 65 times in the book of Ezekiel? I pray that Nash's birth and life would be evidence of that.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. -Ezekiel 36:26

Amnio Results

2009-03-26T14:20:00.006-05:00

Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
-Psalm 28:6-7

I got a call this afternoon from the genetic counselor. The results came back normal! That means no chromosome abnormalities. She also told me the baby is definitely a boy.

Normal results are a huge answer to prayer because they make survival rate for pregnancy, heart defect, and surgery so much greater. We still have a lot of obstacles to overcome and there are a lot of unknowns ahead of us, but for now I'm just rejoicing in this victory and trusting God for what lies ahead.

I want to thank you all again for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for the baby and our family. My desire is to learn to lean fully on Him at all times and have a thankful heart for what He did for me on the cross and everyday after that. I feel that I've had an incredible amount of peace through all of this and I know that none of that came from me.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. -John 14:27

**Also, I want to ask that you just stop and pray right now for the Fitzsimmons family who lost their wife and mother to breast cancer earlier today.

Amnio Appointment

2009-03-18T16:16:00.007-05:00

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
-Psalm 33:20-22

New News-

We went for the genetic counselor/amniocentesis appointment yesterday.

Dr. Darby scanned the baby's heart again and was much happier with what he saw. There is no longer evidence of Transposition of the Greater Vessels. There is still a VSD that will require surgery. It still appears the aorta is much smaller than it should be. And there is still a concern about how the heart will continue to develop throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

The procedure itself was fairly quick, the needle was in for about two minutes. He inserted it right below my belly button. Almost as soon as he did, the baby started to grab at it! (What?! Can he see things like that already??) Which meant he had to angle the needle and that put a pretty big amount of pressure on my stomach. I had a lot of cramping last night, which is normal, but I felt very well today.

We will have the results of the amnio in about two weeks.

The Pediatric Cardiologist will see us April 14th. We're hopeful that day will bring us lots of answers.

Praying With Persistence

2009-03-16T13:53:00.006-05:00

Parable of the Persistent Widow

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
-Luke 18:1-8

I'm so thankful for all of our prayer warriors that have been lifting us up in your prayers persistently. Thank you all.

The sweet nurse, Lynn (You know, the one I begged for the blood test.) called me Monday morning to let me know she had called on the results for me. She wanted me to know they wouldn't be in as early as they had predicted and told me she would call me as soon as they came in, which wouldn't be any earlier than Wednesday.

Well, she called again this morning, asking the lab for results. And she got them! They came back as negative. Which means the chances of baby boy having Down Syndrome are low. We will find out more today at the genetic counselor, but I believe there is now about a 30% chance of Down Syndrome.

Also, wanted to share with you the scripture Kirby shared with me this morning that she's been praying over the baby...

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. -Ezekiel 36:26

So good. I'm praying this for myself as well. I want this experience to change me, to give me a tender, responsive heart.

More Than Conquerors

2009-03-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. -Romans 8:26-28

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support. All the emails, texts, and phone calls are just a reminder of your love and we feel strengthened by them. Really. Thank you.

I scheduled the meeting with the genetic counselor on Tuesday @ 1pm with the amniocentesis to follow around 1:30. After talking with the nurse I was informed the results will take 7-10 days (!) to get back.

That news was a little more than I could handle today, so I quickly phoned my OB's nurse to beg for a blood test, as well. The blood test I had done detects about 70% of Down Syndrome (DS) pregnancies. They will then tell you if your pregnancy is at "low risk" or "high risk" for DS.

After the amnio results are in, I am told they will be able tell us with 100% certainty whether the baby has Down Syndrome or not. Then we will be able to determine the next best course of action.

The Pediatric Cardiologist doesn't want to see us until April 14th. So we may have very little information on heart issues until then, though we will be going back to Dr. Darby's office (the perinatologist) in the next couple of weeks.

One issue I didn't mention yesterday is the health of his heart, while good now, with adequate blood flow to all 4 chambers, can change between now and full term. Meaning, if one or more areas stop recieving blood, that area will stop growing. This is called hypoplastic heart.

I will update here as soon as possible with any results.

2009-03-12T16:07:00.006-05:00

I don't even know where to begin with this post. I'm just going to apologize now for being all over the place and probably very misinformed about much of the information that follows.

First off... Thanks so much to all who voted. I love to guess a baby's sex, though I think I'm generally very bad at it! The majority of you voted boy.

It took the ultrasound girl all of two seconds to begin scanning our baby and say this...

We got into the ultrasound and all the bones and other anatomy looked really good. The perinatologist came in as he does at the end of everyone's exam to take some pictures of his own and he couldn't get a real good view of the heart because baby boy had decided to flip over and lay face down. He asked me to come back after lunch just so he could see if he would move and we could finish up. At this point he was thinking he could possibly see a hole in the septal valve, but wasn't sure.

After lunch, he was a little more cooperative and the Dr. was able to get much better views. He also switched to a cardiac ultrasound machine, which showed the different colors for the blood flow. He looked around for a long time and then asked if I could come into his office to talk and free up the exam room.

Here's what we know... He told me then there was definitely a hole. He has a VSD. Which is what I was also born with. Mine did not require surgery, but I am told his will. It is a small to moderate hole that will not close up on it's own. The timing of that surgery will depend on a lot of circumstances.

Here's what he might have seen... (Let me just interrupt to say that I am 18 weeks. Baby's heart is about the size of my pinky fingernail, so until it and he get a bit bigger it will be hard to know for sure.) In some views everything else looked normal. In others it appeared as though his aorta is very small, or smaller than it should be at least. In other views, it appeared as though the aorta and pulmonary valve were transposed.

Here's what I need to do now... I am scheduling an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist ASAP. Hopefully he can tell us much more information. I also am to go see a genetic counselor to discuss amniocentesis.

The reason he wants to do an amnio is because while VSDs can and do occur on their own, they often are also associated with chromosome disorders. Because our baby is anatomically normal everywhere else the most likely chance of a chromosome disorder would be Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome. Finding out if he has Down Syndrome would equip us with the knowledge we need to go about fixing the heart. If he has it, he would be less likely to survive surgery and other treatments and basically the prognosis and course of treatment sounded more like a wild card.

Here's what you can do... PRAY!

I know that our baby is being formed perfectly, just as God has intended for him to be created, right this minute.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

-Psalms 139:13-16

I know that I serve a God who is so much bigger than all of this. He can part seas and rivers. He can make the earth open up and swallow whole families and their belongings. He can even make donkeys talk, just like in Shrek! (Can you tell I'm heavy into reading the Old Testament and all things Israelite right now? :) He can make my baby perfect in the world's eyes or he could be born with every defect (or more) that I listed above.

But He knows...

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. -Matthew 10:28-30

...and He cares...

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, -Nahum 1:7

... and He plans.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11

Boy or Girl?

2009-03-03T14:34:00.004-06:00

We'll find out next Thursday, March 12! What's your guess?

Vote over there on the right!

Oh No! The Big 3-0!!!

2009-01-23T10:27:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Todd!

We love you!

Kyle, Reid, & Stella

Coming in August...

2009-01-22T18:04:00.000-06:00

Baby #3!

My due date is 8/12/09.

This pregnancy I'm feeling less than the usual amount of nausea. (Keep praying, Rachel!) I'm also ALWAYS cold. Kinda makes me want one of these...

Just think of all the maternity clothes I wouldn't have to buy if I had one of those things.

Reid has put in several suggestions for baby names. I'll let you decide which one you would choose...

Girl names...

Loo Loo He specifically told me how to spell this.

Thorn

Leia

Girlfriend

And for a boy...

Lil' Reid

Luke Skywalker Montalbo

Puss Boots Montalbo

November is National Adoption Month

2008-11-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T22:02:00.004-06:00

We had a great Halloween! Reid has had an adorable Indian costume just hanging in his closet waiting to fit for years. The year had finally come, so his sister was forced to be his squaw! I bought a pattern off e-bay and made this: Here are the two little braves pre-sugar shock.

Hmm. Well, they do appear to be in some kind of shock.

Our neighborhood is great for trick-or-treating. Of course Reid is an old pro, so sister was sprinting down the block to keep up with him. She didn't last long at that pace, but while she did she was running up to doors and holding open her bag. Then when people would bend down, she'd reach in their bowl and get her own candy!

I'm so thankful for these two children! I love their sweet hearts. And I feel blessed to be their mom. Daily, I learn more about God's love and grace through them.

Why I Don't Have Clean Windows, Reason #57

2008-10-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

I don't know what a chupacabra looks like, but I think she looks like one here...

For All The Invisible Women...

2008-10-03T19:12:00.003-05:00

The Olympics and Heaven

2008-08-11T22:03:00.004-05:00

First, go and watch this video of the Men's Swimming Relay. It is AMAZING. Can you imagine what that felt like?

It reminded me of this book I'm reading. In it the author writes of heaven, and compares our joy there to the energy felt at an extremely exciting sporting event (like in the video above). The author writes, "The thrill of earth's greatest sporting victories is just a faint echo of the Joy for which we were made-a consuming participation in the worship of Almighty God, a celebration that never fades or disappoints."

Now imagine.

Michael Phelps' face.

Faint Echo.

FAINT. ECHO.

I'm making the Michael Phelps face just thinking about it.

Also, Reid thinks Michael Phelps looks like Jordan.

I agree.

A New Olympic Event...

2008-08-10T21:01:00.004-05:00

Can I just say we have been LOVING the Olympics the past couple of days? Reid has been especially interested (and funny) asking questions about all the countries and competitors. He says he imagines Japan to be "a big forest" and then lamented about his never having seen a tree frog. What is going on in that boy's head?

Then, this afternoon as we were watching Synchronized Diving (Who knew this was a sport?) he asked when they were going to start doing cannonballs!

Reidism

2008-05-21T19:42:00.003-05:00

Reid is reading to himself.

Aloud he says, "Hmmm... flower bed. I wonder why they call it a flower bed?"

Pauses.

Shrugging his shoulders, "I guess that's where flowers sleep."

Goes back to reading.

The Birthday Girl's Day In Pictures

2008-05-18T21:14:00.014-05:00

Stella's 1st Birthday EVER was a big day for such a little girl. We didn't start out until late because we went to church in the morning and then she, of course, had to get a nap in.

Her first morning as a 1-year-old.

Could there BE a better big brother?

Surprisingly, she really enjoyed opening her presents. Hopefully she'll be this much fun on Saturday!

After we opened presents, we went to the pool. The kids both L-O-V-E the pool. It's going to be a GREAT summer!

Then we played in Stella's new (to her) sandbox.

She ate some sand. (And don't pretend to be shocked, you people know she eats everything!) She didn't like it, but that didn't stop her from sampling it a couple more times. Once she figured out we hadn't filled a container in the backyard with crushed graham crackers, she was through.

Reid stayed in the sandbox long after Stella was done, making a sand castle. He had to come in to make a flag for it. I was very impressed. (Reid is OBSESSED with American flags. He points them out every time he sees them, so we usually making a game out of seeing how many we can count in a car ride. Once you start looking they're everywhere!)

After that we ate dinner. I wiped her up so she was decent for some pics and then we did the cake. We took videos of her. But they wouldn't upload to blogger. Ugh! So FRUSTRATING!!! Anyway, she was disgustingly messy and when I tried to take the cake away from her she screamed. So when I put it back she tore off a HUGE chunk and shoved it in her mouth immediately. I'm not sure if my stomach hurt more from laughing or because I felt so sick from watching her consume so much cake.

It was a fun day. I can't believe it's been a year!

And The Name Is...

2008-05-16T21:39:00.018-05:00

First off, Reid wanted to call each and every one of you to thank you for all the names. I told him I thought a blanket statement on the blog would suffice. So.... a GREAT BIG thanks to you ALL for contributing!

It was a very tough decision. Reid had 36 names to choose from! What a job that was! It was fun though, I went through the names with him and told him who (Fred and...) Ginger, Wilma, Barney, Ethel and Ricky were. I sang "Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog" and "It's Not Easy Being Green" for him. It was quite an event.

Anyway, so first we started out with the list.

Excuse my pathetic drawings. I was bored.

Then we narrowed it down to 5 names. They were (in no particular order):

Jeremiah
Rocky
Tad
Lily
Yoshi

After MUCH deliberation and (2 name changes) the frog's name is Lily. Lily Pad.

Let's just hope it's a girl....

Name That Frog

2008-05-11T13:38:00.005-05:00

We're havin' a contest.

Here's the deal:

Reid got a frog habitat for his birthday. We sent off for two leopard frog tadpoles. They came in the mail in a plastic test tube in a manila envelope. The first two were D.O.A.

They sent us more.

The first one came a week ago. He was born (hatched?) April 17th and is about to get his back legs. After a Internet search for pet frog names (seriously) Reid named him Fred.

The second came yesterday. It is much smaller since it's birthday is May 3rd. Reid and I decided it would be fun to have a name contest. He'll pick a name next Friday.

You may submit as many names as you'd like.

Go!

Toothless Thursday

2008-05-08T16:44:00.002-05:00

Space for rent.

In other tooth news, Stella has just gotten her fifth tooth! Her right lateral incisor has already come through her gums. (And I didn't even notice until today!)

Up Your Nose With A Garden Hose!

2008-04-08T20:59:00.003-05:00

Here's a new installment of my favorite Orbitz commercials. This one's not as funny as the last one though.

Watch This!

2008-03-31T21:33:00.002-05:00

This little girl is SO cute! I want to eat her cute little face right off. After you watch the video, there is one of her singing "Amazing Grace" that's adorable too.

The White Stuff

2008-02-09T14:47:00.000-06:00

Oreos - You make Crisco taste SO good!

Proof

2008-01-29T08:05:00.000-06:00

Reid has been saying he was allergic to hot dogs since he was 3 and had to eat them in preschool for lunch. Not a particle of a hot dog, or anything resembling one, has passed his lips since then.

Todd finally talked him into trying one.

He did not die.

He did not go into anaphylactic shock.

He did not even swell, or sneeze, or break out into a rash.

Here is the proof, in case he destroys mine and tries to convice you all that he still has a hot dog "sensitivity".

He may not like them, but he is NOT allergic to hot dogs. (Just banana pudding and sharks.)

Tricks R 4 Kids

2008-01-26T17:20:00.000-06:00

I 'm pretty sure I have a future stunt man living in my house.

We discovered that he can do this today.

We had never tried taking the training wheels off because it made Reid so nervous, but today when we did, he just rode and rode.

He's still a little wobbly, so when he gets close to the curb, he jumps off the bike to land on his feet and lets the bike crash. It's so funny.

On his mad biking skills, he says, "The only trick I can do is crash."

A Consultant?

2007-12-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

Remember my rant about Reid's karate tournament and how everyone want's their kid to feel like a winner ALL of the time?

Well check this out. It's ridiculous.

Funny Face

2007-12-08T22:27:00.000-06:00

I was looking through pictures and came upon this one.

It cracks me up how mad she looks!

Oh Happy Day!!!

2007-11-27T18:27:00.000-06:00

Our prayers have finally been answered!

Brent got news today that he has finally been accepted to the fire department!!! Yea!!

We can't wait for those crazy Curries to finally get their cold butts across the border FOR GOOD!

Congratulations, Brent! They FINALLY made the right choice! You have worked hard to give the best to your family and you deserve the chance to do something you will love.

Thanks Giving Friday

2007-11-23T23:49:00.000-06:00

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4

Thanks Giving Thursday

2007-11-22T23:45:00.000-06:00

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

Here is Reid with November's memory work.

Thanks Giving Wednesday

2007-11-21T23:41:00.000-06:00

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:4

On Sunday, when I started the week of thanks givings, I selected a Bible verse for each day so that I would have something to meditate on and to get me thinking. It just so happened, that today's verse is also the "Word of the Day." Only, the "Word" includes verse five as well.

For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—

Before I even opened up my blog today to read that verse. I thought and felt the meaning of verse 5 while talking to Reid.

While passing through my mom's kitchen this morning, he said, "You know what I can't wait for?"

Then he said, "I can't wait to see God's face."

And he left the kitchen, smiling sweetly at me over his shoulder.

I thank God for this boy.

He is absolute sunshine to me. He has the sweetest heart I've ever encountered. And his knowledge, love, and fear of the Lord is overwhelming. I could go on all day about him. I'm not sure if I can even put into words the emotion I feel knowing that my child's heart already wholly belongs to Jesus and that his future is secure in Him.

Here is what he is thankful for:

I am thankful for my mother and father and me and Stella and my toys and everybody ells [else]. and my videow games. I love mother.

love, Reid

Thanks Giving Tuesday

2007-11-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thanks Giving Monday

2007-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Let us come before [the Lord] with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Psalm 95:2

I have asked my boys to write down what they are thankful for.

Here is Todd's.

I'm thankful for:

The time I get to spend with my family.
Our two wonderful kids.
The gifts that God has provided us to keep us safe and warm.
The opportunities that have come before me.
The chance to share my life with such an amazing wife, mother, and friend.

A Week of Thanks Giving

2007-11-18T20:24:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make....

I don't like Thanksgiving.

Before you start throwing your rotten yams and pumpkin pies, let me explain. My not liking Thanksgiving has NOTHING to do with the act of giving thanks.

I just don't really like turkey.

Or sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.

Or green bean casserole.

Or stuffing.

Or football.

And worst of all, over-eating. Yuk!

Traditional "Thanksgiving" activities are just not that fun to me.

With that said, I do want to take some time this week for some thanks giving to the One who deserves it. I will be posting this week with thankful thoughts and scriptures, in an effort to focus my mind on thanks giving and what we all should focus on daily, not just the third week in November.

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 106:1

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Luke 17:15, 19

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

We Got Elfed

2007-11-16T18:05:00.000-06:00

Check us out!

Elf yourself and post the link in our comments!

And look at our Scrooge.

More Pics

2007-11-05T08:50:00.000-06:00

The thumb is a permanent fixture.
Peas in a pod.

Can I Get An Amen?

2007-11-04T20:04:00.000-06:00

So, tonight we're playing charades, which Reid loves, but is sadly not spectacular at.

And he's guessing for me and my word is "windshield wipers".

So I pretend like I'm driving and I reach over, turn on the wipers, and then make the motion, right?

And he blurts, "Turning on the radio. Listening to the bible. PRAISE THE LORD!"

My hands are up in the air moving back and forth and this kid thinks, "Praise the Lord!"

Gotta love him.

Halloween Rehash

2007-11-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Halloween festivities began in the Montalbo household with "The Placing of the Baby in the Pumpkin". Stella didn't really mind. She did think it was a good place to poop though.

(Don't worry, I didn't post any of those pictures.)
Then we went around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.

Reid got a ton of candy and didn't want to stop.

Spidey and the pretty flower.

Lea dressed up too.

Jack-o-lanterns

2007-10-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for this?

Because it could be the cutest thing EVER...

My baby boy designed and drew on (then Todd carved out) his own jack-o-lantern!!!

I love his cute little, tiny nose.

And his eyes, that would be way up on his pumpkin forehead, if pumpkins has foreheads.

And his big, crooked, goofy mouth.

Venom in the Garden

2007-10-29T21:44:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night, we went to Goblins in the Garden at the wildflower center. The kids wore their halloween costumes and even Spiderman (Or was it Venom?) made an appearance!

Punkinhead

2007-10-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

Smiley little punkinhead

Last Class

2007-10-23T22:19:00.000-05:00

For our last class we made a wedding cake. Here are the pics...

The whole group with our cakes.

The final product.

Ephesians 6:1-4

2007-10-16T00:11:00.000-05:00

This was Reid's memory work for October. September's memory work was the Books of the Bible. I couldn't upload that one, I think it was too long. I love that he's learning these now and that his heart for God is already so big! (Even if he does want to be a pastor just "cause they only work one day a week.")

Baby 'Hawk

2007-10-10T10:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pics of Stella's babyhawk. Then one of her with her thumb in her mouth which is mostly how she "poses" these days.

She's 4 and a half months old now. She rolls around on the floor to get around. And last week she started screaming just for fun. So she screams in this really high pitched scream and then laughs and screams again. Can you say DRAMA QUEEN? She's been sleeping for 12 hours a night for almost a month now, which is SOOO NICE.

Pretty Little Package

2007-10-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

Okay. Honestly, I have more in my life going on than these cakes. I promise I will post SOMEthing else soon!

Anyway, here's the newest. We're working with fondant, which looks awesome, but doesn't taste good. I want a cake I can EAT! Next week we're making flowers, but the week after I'll post my wedding cake!

Last Class

2007-09-27T20:27:00.000-05:00

For my last class we learned how to make roses. Here are my pics.

Next week I start Course 3, where I will make... a wedding cake!!! I'll post pics!

Clowns

2007-09-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the clown cake I made this week. I thought the clowns would look scary, but they turned out kinda cute.

My First Class

2007-09-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the 1st cake I decorated at a Wilton decorating class I'm taking.
Notice there are no leaves on the stems as we have not learned how yet!

Pics

2007-09-11T14:31:00.000-05:00

Reid on his 1st day of school.
Look at that hair clip!
Smiley girl!!!
These two love each other.

Mr. Smiley Spider by Reid

2007-08-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

This is a spider that is living in my backyard. It is cool. My mom and I looked it up on the computer. This is what we learned: It is called a crablike spiny orb weaver. Some people call them smiley face spiders. Jesus put the spikes on it to remind us of Jesus' crown of thorns. It puts flags on it's web for birds to see so they don't run into it, or they'll extroy the whole web.

THE END

Some Pig

2007-08-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

(This one's for you Kirb.) Here's a pic of the pig cake I made Jerry (Grumpy) for his Birthday party.

And The Trophy Goes To...

2007-08-04T20:42:00.000-05:00

Way to go Reid! On Thursday Reid tested for and received his orange belt in karate. And last Saturday was Reid's 2nd karate tournament, which is a prereq for the belt test. He got second place this time.

(Here's my issue, which has nothing and everything to do with Reid...)

Now if you don't know anything about a karate tournament all this placing sounds mighty impressive, and truly, my kid IS awesome. But, in a karate tournament you are paired up, there are only two people sparring against each other. And these two people "spar" against each other until one of them scores 3 points (gets three hits on their opponent) first. And then....

That's it! No winner on to the next bracket, just first and second for everyone and a neat little trophy as a parting gift. So second place is.... ummm.... the loser.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those parents who gets thrown off the field for behaving insanely at my kid's soccer games. I mean, he doesn't even LIKE soccer. But I like some good old-fashioned competition as much as the next gal. Sure, I like to win, doesn't everyone? But you can't ALWAYS win. I don't want my children to always win. As a mother I don't feel I will have done my job if I don't help my children learn to adjust to and cope with situations, like losing, early on in their lives.

What is with this "I'm okay, you're okay" society that we can't admit to children that they haven't won? What are we setting our kids up for by not letting them fail in their childhoods? And what about the people who are naturally driven to aim high and accomplish great things BECAUSE of the goal? Will those people cease to achieve no. 1 because of our new lower standards? Are we cheapening the victory somehow? How will it be for Reid if I let him coast through life in the winner's circle and then all of a sudden when faced with the real world and he fails?

I don't believe everything needs to be a competition. Some things should be played just for the fun. Of course, I'm rooting for Reid to win! But, it's okay for him to feel loss sometimes as well. I don't believe his wins or losses are tied to his worth. But how will HE ever know until he experiences it for himself?

Everybody Else Is Doing It...

2007-08-03T00:06:00.000-05:00

This is our first EVER blog. I've always wanted to have one. Envied those who did. I'm just not really sure what I'm supposed to do. This is a lot of pressure, ya know? It probably won't really even be all that interesting. But, I need a place to share our lives with out-of-town family and friends. So stay tuned.