michael's dad

this was michael's father's childhood street.
his father's home.
  the place where his father was a boy.

i imagine him there.

imagine him being pulled in his radio flier wagon.
the wagon he still has. the wagon he has pulled his own grandchildren in. 

 i look down san nicolas and la plata street, and think of him
 playing with his favorite neighborhood friend, whose name rhymed with his.
what a pair denny & kenny must have been!

i imagine him tinkering with his train-set near the christmas tree.
the same train-set his own boys and grandsons have tinkered with.

i think of him eating his mother's meatloaf.  i know he smothered it in ketchup.
he smothers everything in ketchup.

i think of the little boy feet that balanced on the bricks his own father laid at the lawns edge.
now his son, a man, walks in his steps.

today that boy is 66.

he is
husband,
father,
grandfather.
he is
kind,
  servant,
integrity,
hard-worker,
laughter,
teacher.
 he is
legacy.

Proverb 13:22 says
"a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children."

so today, dennis, on your 66th birthday, i say thank you.
thank you for living a good story.
your children delight in the steps you have taken,
and follow in them. 
thank you for seeking God and for encouraging your children to seek Him.  
thank you for leaving your children and your children's children a legacy.

we are blessed to be written into your good story.

happy birthday! 

blink

this past weekend we celebrated josie's 10th birthday. 

TEN!

 78,840,000 blinks

 and

my baby is 10.

josie wanted to celebrate with a "just dance" slumber party.
she began planning 6 months ago,
and knew exactly what she wanted...

bright colors and lots of them!  

i relinquished control and let her choose everything.

her party looked like her!

*love*

josie gave each of her guests a gift containing her must-have-favorite-things:

mismatched socks

silly bands

fruity chapstick

&

pixy sticks

for the cake josie selected rainbow cake-jars {seen on pinterest}.

these were easy to make, 

and fun to eat! 

as the girls "just danced" together 

i was entertained by the mini flash-mob in my living room.

the evening was filled with games.

 "twister" was a giggling must.

as well as  "spin the nail polish!"

{various colors of polish, played like "spin the bottle,"

when the polish lands on you, you paint a nail that color, and so on}.

 

and because no event of josie's would be complete without tutus, each of the girls made their own tutu to be fabulous in. 

our d.j. friend loaned us his disco ball for the occasion

and the girls "pumped up the jam!"

{i'm think'n a disco ball NEEDS to become a permanent part of our decor}.

10.

i can't believe she is 10. 

after the girls were giggling in their sleeping bags i said to michael,

"i want to be like josie. when she enters a room she fills it with joy."

he agreed.

the moment josie was born,

 78,840,000 blinks ago,

she entered our lives and brought with her joy. 

it's who she is.

who God in His generosity and sovereign plan created her to be~

illuminated joy!

her joy shines on us through the songs she sings, the out-loud love she lavishes on us, the grace she lives in which splashes on us, and her uncomplicated faith.

oh! it has been a good 78,840,000 blinks!

and though i know from experience that the next 78,840,000th blink is just a blink away, i'm looking forward to   indulging in every blessed blink'n minute with my deLIGHTful girl!

may God be glorified in your life Josie, and continue to illuminate Himself to you and through you in Christ Jesus! i know He will!

whispered hope

EDITED & REPOSTED from last year, because this is what i'm thinking about today, the day before Josie's 10th birthday. 

11 years ago on Saturday, February 10th, 2001 I was at a 4 day retreat, 'The Walk to Emmaus."
My husband, Michael, had joined men from all over central California the weekend before on "The Walk," and on this weekend it was my turn to join 60 unfamiliar women, at an unfamiliar church,  in an unfamiliar small town, in hopes to (like the disciples on the "Road to Emmaus") come face to face with Jesus.

To be honest, I didn't think I would see Jesus.... really, I didn't want to.
I was mad at Him.
It had been almost 5 months since He took Caleb home.
I was sad.
I wanted my baby back.
In my belly.
I wanted to be looking forward to the month ahead when Caleb was due with joyful anticipation.  Instead I was dreading it; mourning every single day without my son.

During the afternoon on this day of "The Walk,"  all the ladies on the retreat were lead into a sanctuary.  There we were given the opportunity to meet with a pastor for counsel.  After counsel and prayer we would be anointed with oil (freedom).  We could sit in the pews for as long as we needed, but we could not leave the sanctuary until we met with the pastor.

I sat there alone for what seemed like hours.

I watched one woman after another get up and walk, but I would not.

 I sat in that pew and ignored God.
He did not ignore me.
He spoke.
Teary eyed I pretended to ignore Him.
He cradled me.
I wrestled Him to release me from His arms.
Still, He held me.
He cupped my tearful face in His hands.
I closed my eyes.
He spoke, "Beloved."
I cried..."Why? Why did you take my son? I want him back"
He listened.
Still unable to look at Him, I asked, "Will I always feel such grief?"
He whispered, "Your life will look different a year from now."
"What?" I asked confused.
He spoke again, "Your life will look different a year from now."

I  took in Life-Giver's words.

Finally, the last one in the sanctuary, I made my way to the altar.  There Wonderful Counselor spoke words of Comfort, Truth, Peace and Hope through the pastor, and I was anointed with oil. 

I returned home from "The Walk" assuming God meant my grief would change within the next year.  I  didn't think God meant for me to take His words literally.

Fast forward a year to the Wednesday before Sunday, February 10th, 2002.  I was 38 weeks pregnant with a little girl.  Michael and I met with our o.b. for a routine check-up and asked about being induced (something I'd not done or considered before).  The o.b. agreed. He scheduled us for the upcoming Sunday.

As we drove home Michael and I discussed how odd it was that the dr. had chosen Sunday. We knew that was his day off?

"Why Sunday?" I asked. 

And the Spirit  reminded me of a promise made to me almost a year earlier, "Your life is going to look different a year from now." 

Exactly one year later

on 

Sunday, February 10th, 2002 

at 2:58 p.m., 

Josie 

(Josefine, "May God Add")

was born.  

How precious to me are your thoughts, 

O God! 

How vast is the sum of them! 

Psalm 139:17

Isn't God AMAZING,
and

Generous, 

and 

too too Good to us!?!!


 now i must go and smother my baby-girl with hugs and kisses, 

on this the last day

of the first decade 

of her life!

Rewind

its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

yeah, i know, Christmas was so last year, but indulge me a little {okay, a lot}

as i rewind 

and ponder a bit of what i treasured about Christmas, 2011.

this Christmas looked a lot like this

Michael painted the kitchen, repainted the kitchen, then painted the kitchen again! because "third times a charm."  after painting was kinda done he installed granite tile counters, grouted, added bead board, appliances, and more.
with the kitchen make-over we knew Christmas wasn't going to get the attention we so enjoy giving to It.  Christmas was okay with that and came anyway.

because we were kitchenless the kids and i went to mama holly's to bake our Christmas goodies. 

mama holly, who had a nasty cold, was so happy to have us there!
as she taught emilie to knit she said,
"i'm so glad you don't have a kitchen, i think you should make it a tradition that
you bake here every year."
mama holly gives me generous love and the gift of home.
i don't know what i'd do without her.

we'd like to thank Home Depot for not only selling us paint {a lot of paint}, but also our Christmas tree. 

the kids woke our Christmas morning to the usual birthday breakfast party for Jesus. no balloons or streamers this year, BUT we did surprise the kids by setting the table with the Christmas dishes that had been buried in a box in the garage
{up to that point we'd been enjoying all our fine crock-pot meals on paper products}.
i'll have to share about all our birthday traditions sometime, but for now, just one, and that is to pick junk cereals to accompany the meal.
so this year while standing in the cereal isle before Jesus' birthday i asked the fam, "what cereal would Jesus choose?" the kids shouted a few of their favorites, before my witty husband, michael, chimed in with what we quickly realized was the correct cereal choice for the Savior,
"LIFE!"
it was funny!
i guess you had to be there.

something that really blessed me this Christmas was that noah, emilie and josie decided to go in together and buy gifts for each other with their own $.
they were as THRILLED to give as they were to receive.
my children are coolawesome!! 

even rudolph thinks so!

another thing that knocked my mommy Christmas socks off was how
intentional my children were about the advent season.
i usually have thoughtful activities planned for the entire advent season, but with the move and the chaos i had to embrace that Jesus would come {advent= coming, expecting} without my assistance.
still, i was a bit saddened to be missing the opportunities to create memories for my children. 
BUT something extraordinary occurred, my children created the memories for themselves by recycling many of the memories we'd made together past Christmases!
I LOVE MY KIDS!
this was hands down my favorite gift this Christmas {that and the kitchen}.

for the first time in our 15 yrs of marriage we didn't send out Christmas cards
{be on the lookout for our Ground Hog's Day card on Feb 2}.
i figured we'd have to throw in the towel on creating and giving
our favorite kind of gifts- thoughtful and personally made.
but michael and i pulled a couple late nighters and created a few that we couldn't wait to give! 
a personalized crossword puzzle for his crossword-puzzle-loving-grandmother was one favorite,
and a few canvas wraps we designed were the others. 

maybe a new business in the near future
{to pay for all the painting that still needs to be done}?

a few other highlights were:
cheney cousin Christmas night at our house.
17 of us in matching scarves, whipped up by my m.i.l. cindy,
to wear to Christmas eve service.
the cousins unwrapping the first gift, baby Jesus, from under the Christmas tree, followed by gramps reading the story of Jesus' birth to them from Luke.
uncle jack's tender heart and encouragement. 
michael's grandma opening her canvas wrap of Psalm 23, and saying
"Psalm 23 is my favorite"
{we knew}.

Christmas day at my uncle and aunts, joseph & mary
{really.  joseph gabriel, born Christmas day, and maria gloria)
my cousin ava {2yrs} jumped into my lap!  she likes "prima"
{cousin in portuguese, and her name for me}.
sitting with my 5 aunts, i teared up and said, "i love my aunts." to which one teared up 
and then another.
my aunts have been a source of joy to me through the years.
seeing my grandmother, josefina, surrounded by her daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren {with another on the way}, i asked {in portuguese}, "is your heart full?"
and she lit up and replied {in portugeuse, of course}, "oh yes, very full, it is coming out of my chest!"
my nephews both calling me "favorite tia denise." love. 
a fun Christmas double-date with my sister and bro-in-law.

all these, the treasures i don't want to forget from Christmas, 2011.

thanks for indulging me.
you can fast forward back to January, 2012 now!

Do you Remember the 21st night of September

Michael,  

When I think about our marriage, our life together, one word describes it~ ABUNDANT. 
{Abundant: available in large quantities; plentiful.  Having plenty of something}

John 10:10b says that  "Jesus came to give us life, and life abundant."   

As a girl I hoped that my life would be different.  I dreamed of being loved and wanted.  I hoped I could be. Hoped hard that I would be {tears}.  Hoped that my story wouldn't always be of loss, abandonment, and rejection.  I hoped there would be a BUT GOD to my story.  Hoping that my no-good story which began tragically would turn a page and be a God-glorifying story.
That "But God" was Jesus, Who gave his life for me AND then lavished on me high and wide and long and deep LOVE!  
"But God"wasn't done! God was just getting started.  In addition to ALL He'd given me in Christ, He gave me you, Michael!  You, to share ABUNDANT Life in Christ with.  You to experience large quantities of JOY, GRACE, EXPANDING FAITH, FREEDOM, FUTURE, and LOVE with. 

What a gift these past 15 years have been!   Being your wife is next to Jesus the BEST GIFT EVER! 

Now, in the words of Ren McCormic {Footloose}
"LEEEETTT'S  DAAAANNCCEE!!!"

Do you remember the

21st night of September

Love was changing the minds

of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing.

As we danced in the night,

Remember how the stars stole the night away

Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

My thoughts are with you

Holding hands with your heart to see you

Only blue talk and love,

Remember how we knew love was here to stay

Happy 15th Anniversary!

we're coming to america {part 3}

50th anniversary party!

the decorations

hydrangeas are the flower of the azores islands.

our island, flores {flowers in english} is breathtakingly covered in hydrangeas.

red, white & blue to honor america.

each table's centerpiece shared memories from my family's journey as well as historical facts from 1961.

{btw- we discovered at the party that it was not corn husks that were used in place of t.p., it was the corn cob! ewww}

photos from the 50 years in america were printed in sepia, and hung on twine by clothespins, to create  banners throughout the house.

what a blessing to see our family that began as 8 now be a whopping 53!

more stories were shared as we poured over the family photo albums together.

the food.

with the portuguese it is ALL about the food.

feeding someone well, and their enjoyment of their meal, is an expression of love.

when speaking of my grandmother i often say, "the way to HER heart is through YOUR stomach."

this was the first time the second generation got to feed {love} the first generation. 

i think we fed {loved} them well!

f.y.i. the "portuguese dip" sandwich could easily be mistaken for the french dip sandwich.

the familia {family}.

thank you God for these 50 years!
may You be glorified in the next 50.

do you come from a large family or a small family?

are there any traditions your family has 

when you gather together?

{thank you mel, from the larson lingo, for inspiring the r,w&b  decorations}.

We're Come'n To America {Part 2}

This is the story of my family, the Teodosio family {isn't that a cool name}, and how they came to America. 


My grandmother Josefina Greves was one of 17 children. My grandfather Antonio Teodosio was one of 12 children {11 biological and 1 adopted sister}. They lived on the westernmost point of Europe, on the Portuguese island of Flores.  A beautiful, but poor island.

My grandmother's grandfather Jose (pronounced "juh zeh") Greves had come to the United States, lived, worked, and obtained citizenship, and returned to the Azores.  In the early 1900's her father also Jose Greves, followed in his father's footsteps and came to America.  When he returned to Flores, Azores he married and began a family. His wife Marie Amelia, had no desire to leave her home, and so they lived the rest of their years in Faga Grande, Flores.


I wonder how a village on an island so small could hold a man who had seen so much of the world.  I am sure that he spoke of his adventures to America. I believe his adventure ignited a passion in his daughter, Josefina, to one day live in America. 

My grandparent's story isn't a fairytale, they grew up along side each other, and married in 1947.   They had 6 children; Violet, Marie, Victoria, Vera, Joe, and Hilda {These are their American names, changed when they moved here. Btw- with exception to Violet, all of my aunts first names are Marie}. They continued living in Flores for many years, but my grandmother wanted more, and they made plans to move their family to the Unites States.

On March 19,1961, 4 days after her 35th birthday, my grandmother, Josefina, arrived in California.  She entrusted her husband and sister to care for her 6 children (ages 12-4), so she could go ahead of them and establish a home in the U.S.  Upon her arrival she stayed with her uncle and aunt who helped her find work in a cannery, and loaned her money to send for her family.  In the meantime, my grandfather, Antonio, aunts and father, traveled from Flores to Sao Miguel to wait for their passports and airfare.  
The family was reunited 4 months later on July 31st  {the day after my grandparents 13th anniversary} in San Francisco, CA.
 
I once asked my grandmother what it was like to go to the San Francisco airport to get her husband and children.  She laughed and told me she had been advised to fix herself up as the American women do.  She wore a pretty dress, fixed up her hair, and painted her lips with red lipstick.  When my grandfather saw her he was livid.  After 4 months apart, he wouldn't speak to her {I think he may have been more upset that she left him with 6 children}. My Aunt Violet, shared that when she got off the plane in S.F. and saw her mother she didn't recognize her, "she was so beautiful."

After their arrival in America the entire family went to work picking peaches, and quickly paid off every borrowed cent that brought them to the U.S. 
My grandfather {42 years old} obtained a job at a dairy, and a few years later my grandmother at Hunt's tomato cannery {where she worked for 25+ years}.
 
My grandparents have been generous with their lives. In addition to raising their 6 children, my grandparents also raised my sister and I.  

Their family of 8 is now a family of 53!!! 

The newest member of our family was born Monday. Welcome, Ian Silva!!

In September of 2005 God took my grandfather, Antonio Teodosio, home and made him new. 
{for the last 10 years of his life he slowly faded away from us as he suffered from Alzheimer's}.  I miss him terribly.

The name Josefina, comes from Joseph which means "May God add." God has certainly added so much to our family because of my grandmother.

I feel blessed to be a Teodosio.  I am honored to be part of a family that pursued a dream; a family with courage.  

My grandparents have given me a rich heritage, a deep value for family, and were the first to model victory {overcoming obstacles} to me. 

I praise God that He wrote me into their story {tears}.

My gratitude is expressed by living a life that honors them and Him. 

**************************************************************************

Photos:
Top: Family photo at Aunt Violet's wedding. 
top row l-r: Marie, Violet, Victoria, Vera
bottom row l-r: Joe {my dad}, Antonio, Josefina, Hilda

Middle: My grandfather kissing me at my wedding reception (My grandfather gave me away}.

Bottom: My grandmother, sister Toni, and I



 

We're Come'n To America {part 1}

On July 31st my family celebrated the 50th anniversary of their arrival to America from Flores, Azores!

  A Festa {party} was thrown by my cousins and I, to honor my grandmother and aunts, and the journey that began 50 years ago. 

 
This week I will share with you a bit of my family's history.

But first, let's get this party started!!!

blessing

it's a tradition in our home to give blessings on birthdays.

the first blessing was on noah's first birthday, when after digging into his cake, his daddy and i {who by the way was very pregnant} blessed him before all our guests.  there the tradition began, and EVERY birthday since then you will find us concluding the celebrations with our blessings. 

our blessings usually include our delight for the individual; their character, growth in Christ, and recognizing obstacles they hurdled that year. it also includes speaking words of hope over their future.

words of affirmation {especially when spoken before others about you} nourish a life with truth. {i grew up malnutritioned in this area. my family will not :-) }.

words of hope spoken over a future sustained and directed many of our old testament leaders;  abraham, jacob {israel}, esther, david {to name just a few}.  the lack/withdrawal of a blessing destroyed individuals {for example esau, and the nation of edom}.  as parents michael and i expect that the powerful words of hope and future we speak over our childrens' lives will sustain and lead them into God's will for them.

*************************************************************

yesterday, after emiie's 12 birthday dinner was polished off, seated at the table together, noah {who typically seems the least interested in participating in any of our traditions} asked, "are we going to do the blessings?" michael responded, "why don't you go first."  {giving blessings has grown from michael and i giving them to the children to all 5 of us giving them to each other}.  honestly neither of us expected noah to be ready.  getting him to talk usually involves some "pulling of teeth,"
but to our surprise noah said, "okay."  
looked at emilie, and began...


"emilie, you are the sweetest, kindest, most loving person i know.

you are outgoing and friendly. you walk up to people, befriend them, and talk with them. 
everybody likes you.  everybody wants to be friends with you.

you are so pretty, so beautiful. when i say you are beautiful it's not just on the outside, it's on the inside too. that beauty on the inside shines out of you and makes you even more beautiful."

 
he said a lot more.

i was in joyful tears, overwhelmed by my 13yr old son, and "scarce could take it in!" 

i was overwhelmed not only by the content of his words, but by the power and authority that noah spoke with. his words were intended to speak truth and hope into and over his sister {who at 12 is wrestling with self-doubt and insecurity}. noah's purpose was to BLESS his sister, who he adores. {yes, he adores his sister}.  and he did!!!

 noah & emilie- 2000

*************************************************************

to learn more about giving a blessing, read "the gift of the blessing" by john trent & gary smalley.
i read it in 1996 {before i was married or had children}. it helped me understand my own need for blessing, and how necessary it was to give the gift of the blessing to my {future} family.

here is a link to an insightful post about giving the gift of the blessing.  

 

 *************************************************************

one more thing- i think it's important that you know we are a normal family.  we have good moments  and bad moments.  like all kids, mine argue, fight for their own way, and boss each other.  i blow up.  we learn grace and begin again numerous times though out each day.  

however, i am very intentional here in blogville to make sure that the words i speak about my children express high value of them. they read many of my posts. i know my words here {as well as in our day to day lives} have the power to uplift or hurt them, and i want all these word to bless them.

i wanted to lift any blog-fog and assure you my family is just as normal as yours {assuming your family IS normal}.

A Birthday Blessing

emilie,
i named you after a song.
 
a song a high school friend lead me to because he saw me in the lyrics.
 
at 16 listening to that song i felt for the first time that i was known. 

these are some of the lyrics to that song "emily" by michael w. smith

“you’re going through that stage
it’s a restless age
young and insecure
still there are doubts to fade
moments to be made
and one of them is yours

on the wire
balancing your dreams
hoping ends will meet their means 
you feel alone
uninspired 
well does it help you to
know that i believe in you
you're an angel waiting for wings
emily.”

emilie, today you are 12!  as much as i would like to be in denial and keep you my little girl forever i can see that you have entered “that stage” {sooner that i expected, sweetie}.  like all girls {yes, all} you have been bombarded, and are wrestling with feelings of doubt, insecurity, and feeling alone.  i would like to be able to tell you these will subside, they won’t.  BUT GOD.  sweet emilie, this is where your faith is going to be put into action!   your need for Jesus is going to increase, and you are going to experience tangibly what i have been praying over you for the past 12 years...

“I pray that out of His glorious riches 

He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 

so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.  

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power together with all the saints

to GRASP

how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 

and to KNOW this love that surpasses knowledge- 

that you may be FILLED 

to the measure of all the fullness of GOD."

  Ephesians 3: 16-19

you are going to experience His immeasurable love. {“immeasurable” that is your word. remember.) God, is going to have opportunity after opportunity (because adolescence offers many} to lavish His love on you!  My prayer for you is that you will learn to faithfully submit your heart, mind, soul, and strength to Him, and that you will DWELL RICHELY in His love.

i know you.  you are tender to God's ways, generous with grace {thank you}, compassionate, and you seek Truth.   i know that you are going to seek His face and find it!  that is who you are.

i hope it helps you to know that i absolutely, 100%, BELEIVE in you, Emilie Erin Jones!!

(oh, i just want to go back and kiss and squeeze you at every stage!)

Happy 12th Birthday, Sweetie!

i love you immensely,
mommy

7/11 Day

the alarm sounded at 7:11 a.m.

this morning

and the 7/11 day festivities began!

emilie's bestie, "chloebal warming" {chloe's camp name} joined us

and we went ALL OUT 

celebrating 7/11 day,  

 emilie's exit from age 11 in a few days,

and chloe's entrance to age 11 this week too! 

our goals: 

speak in 7 word sentences

{that didn't last long}

do 7 different things
do things in 7's or 11's.

#1. 7/11 for slurpees!
{this was the first slurpee my kids have ever had. i blame it on my stainphobia}

#2. batter up for b-fast... the birthday girls splurged and shared the ice cream sundae pancakes!

{yes, they had their slurpees before b-fast}

#3. bowling.  knocking down 7 pins counted as strike!

#4. the $3 theater for judy moody.

the girls sat in the 7th row, and noah and i sat in the 11th row. 

#5. a ride on a merry-go-round. 

#6. the nickel arcade

{i gave them 7 nickels... and then gave them 11 more}

#7. 7 samples of yogurt at yogurtland...

followed by yogurt
{and a sugar-coma of course}

i'm a few pounds heavier,

 a few dollars lighter,

 a whole lot of giggles happier,

and a ton of memories fuller

 since

the kids had a 

SUPERMEGATOTALYTHRILLADELIC 

7/11 DAY!!