Away We Go!

This summer is our scheduled furlough time to go home and visit our partnering congregation in Louisville, Kentucky (the Westport Road Church of Christ). We had been planning to go in late summer but due to the unexpected arrival of Piersen's passport earlier than we had anticipated....and a number of other factors, we quickly changed plans and rescheduled our travel plans to begin now. Benjy is currently in Abilene, TX taking a short course in his Master's work. Me and the boys are with our very good friends in Tulsa,Oklahoma - Scott and Melissa Smith. Our departure from Mexico was fast and furious as it was a last minute change in the plan....but we are thankful for safe travel on the roads and for good, hospitable friends to take me and the boys in for a week!

The plan from here is to leave for Canada sometime next week to visit my family! It will be a long drive but our boys are really quite good travellers and we are thankful for that! We will fly on to Louisville in mid-June and spend several weeks with them. We will vsit Benjy's Mom in DC and then begin the journey back to Texas to see more of Benjy's family on our way back to Mexico.

In all of this crazy travelling, we would love the chance to see you! Contact us for more details and hopefully something can be worked out. Please pray for our many hours on roads and in planes....for the flexibility of our sweet kids, and for great time with important people in our lives and for rest and renewal for our family.

Maybe We Should Play the Lottery!

Reece's school was recently selling raffle tickets and I was presented with the request to "help out" as the other parents are. Well, I wasn't too interested but also am not really good at saying "no" so I said I would take 3 (I didn't have money on hand but they said I could pay later). I came home and mentioned it to Benjy. The next day Benjy came home with 5 more raffle tickets because he said the prizes were great - a flat screen monitor, a portable dvd player, and a karaoke machine (and he apparently wasn't listening very well to the fact that I already spoke for 3). OK - whatever. Then a few days later, we realize after actually looking at the tickets that the raffle is not only from the school but rather a nationwide raffle! We thought, ya right - forget it.......until they called me on Friday morning and said we were the thrid prize winners in the nationwide Mother's Day raffle!!!! Ha! What are the chances!!! I have never won anything and so was quite surprised. Unfortunately our prize wasn't the portable dvd player which we would have liked most....but does anyone wanna come over and karaoke!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mom's out there...and most especially my own beautiful Mom and Mother-In-Law! Here is a little message from your grandsons.



Mom, you know how much I love and respect you. There is always the return of a very comfortable feeling when we get to be around each other...I love that. I always sense your unconditional love and a mother's pride from you - and I need that in my life. As I have often said before, I do thank you for my childhood - we all have very special childhood memories. Thank you for your example as a woman of faith that you have modelled for us, as your kids, and now to your grandchildren. I appreciate you for always making the effort to keep in touch and to express your love for me & my little family. You are wonderful and I love you.


Mothers's Day really has become a two sided thing for me. Yes, a chance to reflect on my Mom and other great women who have been examples to me but now, thanks to God's grace, a chance to realize what an honor it is to have children (not like I only do this once a year, but...)

As I think about the blessing of being a Mom, I have a pretty big smile on my face. To be honest, at this stage of the weekend I am also thinking how much the blessing of being a Mom coincides with the blessing of having a loving and helpful husband who likes being a Dad too (Benjy left early Friday morning to suprise his Mom in DC for her birthday and Mother's Day.....he gets back tomorrow - we have missed him and I have realized how much he does around here with the kids...wwhheewww). But, really - I love what it means to be a Mom. Yes, with three very young boys, life can be crazy - and it is best not to think too hard about the tremendous responsibility to raise your kids (that can be overwhelming!). But the night time wakings from bad dreams or a hungry baby, the constant request for snacks, the never ending laundry, lots of saying "no","be nice","share","say you're sorry", trying to be consistent with boundaries and discipline, and on and on don't matter much in comparison to looking into the eyes of your little ones and understanding that they are yours - something so incredibly significant that you were part of in creating. Their little precious lives and personalities are amazing and I really feel thankful that I have the opportunity to experience all of this thing called "being a Mom". My boys are very sweet and affectionate and I love each of them more than I ever imagined possible.

5 Times in 1 Day!

I believe we just might be the only family that can say they were stopped by the police 5 times in 1 day......yes, that is right - 5 times! Mexico City has a law that prevents cars from driving on certain days, based on the last number in your license plates, as an attempt to cut down on car pollution (no comment on the effectiveness of this law!) Our "no drive day" is a Monday BUT Mexico City also has a law that allows you to buy a permission sticker that permits you to circulate your car every day of the week if your vehicle passes the emission test. Months ago we passed the test and purchased the permission sticker and have been driving on Mondays ever since (occasinally getting stopped by the police with the reputation for corruption and going through the hassle of proving that we are "ok"). Today we had to drive way up north in the city and it was a special day I guess as we got pulled over 5 different times! It was unbelievable because although they see the sticker on our windshield I guess they think they might get a little heftier bribe when they see our white faces and so they try and try and try to convince us that our sticker is expired. Frustrating but such is the life at times in Mexico City! Thankfully we drove away from each encounter in the right - even though we saw many looks of disappointed on the officer's faces.

My Cutie Patooties

 

Ok, so they are cute...but it doesn't stop there! Look at their amazing talent! (they know how to make breakfast fun!)

 

Family Photos

When Reece was 6 weeks old we had some family pictures made and we really liked one in particular so we ordered it. When Chase was 6 weeks old we tried to replicate the picture - and Chaser wore the same clothes and lay on the same blanket that had been in the picture with baby Reece. So...now that Piersen is 6 weeks old it was time to take "the" picutre again. I threw out all good parenting skills and, knowing how uncooperative Chase can be with smiling for the camera, I bribed the boys with a special surprise if they would help Mommy out (and then prepared myself to expect the worst). Well, I was wrong - both of them were really good and we got some great pictures!

Below - Reece and Chase are "in position" for the pose! Pretty cute!

 

Below: the progression of our growing family! By the looks of things, the only ones who have changed much are the boys!

 

 

 

Father,
I thank You today for 3 beautiful, healthy children and for the family I have been given. I am reminded of the honor and joy it is to participate in raising them, alongside the love of my life, to become men of God. I don't think we ever imagined how rich this experience would be - and we ask for wisdom and guidance in our decisions and the way we teach, discipline, and direct their precious lives. Thank You for my incredible husband - for the good father he is to Reece, Chase and Pierce. I give all 4 of them to You today and ask You to give us a long life together as a family.
Amen.

Growin' Fast!

These pics are for Gramma and Mimi to see how big this little boy has grown since you left!

 

 

The Oddest Baby Gift

Okay, our friend Whitney sent this little "hillbilly pacifier" to Piersen as a baby gift - I gotta say it is the oddest one we have received for all 3 kids - I had to take a picture! Thanks Whit!

Surprise, Surprise!

 

My friends threw me and little Pierce a surprise baby shower this morning. I was completely in the dark! I had been told that we were getting together as women to watch a parenting video and then to discuss it together as we all have young kids - and who can't use a little support from other mom's?!? When I walked into the house I first saw a table with cake, balloons, and gifts but I didn't catch on at first - and then it dawned on me. It just felt really nice for all of them to do this for us- we have been blessed with good friends here in Mexico. Today I was reminded of that. Yes, it was nice to receive cute clothes and things for my baby - but much more importantly was the chance to be around many of the good people that surround our family. This thing called parenting is a huge responsibility and we continue to see how important it is to have a strong support system of family and friends. Thank you ladies for your love, friendship and for the time spent showering us this morning!

 

Little Piersen slept through most of the shower - always taking advantage of a few more arms to cradle him. I love this picture of Chaser holding him.

Happy Birthday Char

 

My big sister Charlotte is celebrating her birthday today! I have always looked up to her - she is an amazing, gifted, strong woman of God. I really consider her a friend and a sister which is a really neat thing. I remember when we were kids, it must have driven her crazy but I wanted to be like her - to the point of holding off on eating my candy bar if she wasn't yet eating hers. We have now grown beyond childhood squabbles and sharing clothes (although I wouldn't mind doing that still!) and I consider her a person of character whom I respect alot. Benjy often teases me and refers to her as "Dr. Char" because I value her parenting advice and example so much. She is a very good Mom and I am thankful to have her as a role model - and my boys are very lucky to have her as an aunty.

I love you Char and I miss you a lot. I am proud to be your sister - thank you for all you mean to me. I hope your day was great and that your year is filled with joy, growth and God's goodness. Happy birthday!

Celebrating 4 Years With Reecer!

 

Reece turned 4 years old on the 16th - and boy, was he excited about it!! We have been teasing him for weeks that we weren't going to let the 16th come and that he would have to stay our little 3 year old forever. After praying for him one night while tucking him in for bed I asked God to allow Reece to grow to be a good man who loved God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength. The moment my prayer ended, Reece quickly responded..."Mom, if you want me to grow old and be a man then you have to let me have my birthday!"

He wanted to celebrate with his classmates so I made a cake and we shared it with him and his school friends. When it came right down to it, he was pretty shy about it (quite obvious by his stance in the picture below...everyone is singing to him and he is thinking, "I am not here, I can't hear you or see you!")

 

We had a small and simple party this year at home - and we were once again blessed with a visit from Aunty Betsy! This has been the third party in a row that she she has been here to share in Reece's birthday - it is pretty special to have family here to celebrate these important occasions!

 

 

Our countdown to a sparkly blast off and eating cake was fun with Reece's choice of a rocket ship cake....although the biggest hit with the kids was not cake and ice cream but the jello stars that were gobbled up before I could return from the kitchen with the ice cream!

 

 

Reece had a lot of fun playing with all of his best buddies - the other missionary kids who really have become like cousins to our kids.

We are really amazed at how quickly 4 years has seemed to pass. Reece is such a great little boy who has filled our home with laughter and good times. He is a bright kid who loves to ask questions and marvel at all sorts of things. We love his caring heart and his zest for life. He loves his brothers and his friends and it is neat to see how that plays out...and he loves God - very clear in his desire to hear stories from his Bible and to sing and pray. What a kid! At times he says and does things that make it hard to believe he is only 4 - and at the same time it is hard to believe he is that old already! We are most thankful to God for his life and for the priviledge it is to be his parents - for the role he plays in our lives as our son and a caring and loving big brother to Chase and Piersen. Thank you Reece for who you are.. we love you Reecer!

Guess Who!

The birth of a baby seems to bring on the common question of "so, who does he look like?" I went back to look through pictures of all my boys in the first 6 or so weeks of life. I was pretty suprised at the similarities between all three - no, not identical...but definitely brothers. The challenge for you: see if you can correctly name these baby pics - who is who?

 

 

 

Blue Eyed Blue

 

Reece has affectionately nick-named Piersen "blue eyed blue" for his blue eyes. Hard to believe the sweet little guy has been with us for 4 weeks already. He is doing great and man, we love him!

 

Happy Easter!

We all felt good enough to finally get out and do our Easter egg hunt on Monday. The boys had a great time and I enjoyed snapping some pics of them throughout the day. Our home is full of good candy, thanks to Grandma and Mimi for stocking us up with all of our faves! Now the fight begins over the constant pleas for candy throughout the day.

Much more importantly than candy and cute little boys looking for it - I am so grateful that I know Jesus and that He is the foundation of my life. Praise God for His perfect plan that gives me a much needed new chance over and over again.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Family of 5!

 

The Goodness of Mom's and Mom-in-Laws!

 

Mimi arrived on Saturday to meet her newest grandson! Grandma and Mimi shared a couple of days together and I think they enjoyed touching base again after a few years. They caught up on "Benjy and Carolyn" stories so it was a nice trip down memory lane - sharing tales from our dating years, and receiving their insights about us since our lives crossed back in 1996. And of course, they both are pretty proud of their grandsons. My Mom left on Wednesday and that was sad, as always. We enjoyed a few more days with Mimi but she left us on Saturday, also sad. Okay, and I would be lying if I said all the good was just about the attention they gave to the boys - that in itself helped out tremendously....but so did all the help they offered around the house! Wow! Life has changed when it became the Brednich 5 flying solo! I think it will be good to find our own routines and ways again - but THANK YOU so much Grandma and Mimi for helping us with this transition. We love you and miss you both already!!!

 

A Sick Household

Well, we are juggling a household of sickness - taking turns attending to each ones coughs and fevers - getting little rest and trying every trick in the book to convince these little ones (and their Mommy) that medicine is a good thing! Reece, Chase and myself have had coughs - the boys have also had high fevers. Today we had had enough of it and went in for a check up. So we are all set up with antibiotics and what not. Chase actually has bronchitis - poor guy. I have felt bad for a few days but kept feeling like I was "on the mend" and I didn't wanna pass medicine on to Piersen through my milk. The doc assured me that it was fine to take what he prescribed so I am humbling myself and taking it. I made a big ordeal with Reece and Chase when I had to take my first set of medicine this afternoon - they thought it was funny. Piersen is doing ok - he too is a little stuffed up but we are using that oh so fun nose suction thingee (poor baby!) to clean out his gunk. Pray for a quick recovery for all of us!

Pictures

I added some new pictures to my flickr page if you want to see more. Just click on the right hand side of the page.

AIM

 

Well, at our house we have been thinking about AIM these past few days, knowing that many of our good friends from that time in our lives were going to be together. We would have loved to have been there to catch up. From what we heard, a good time was had by all!

This little AIM onesie was Piersen's first baby gift. Sarah Altaffer (sp?) brought it as a gift for our baby when she came to visit - it was really sweet of her. Thanks Sarah! We think it looks good on him!

Sweet Dreams

Piersen has brought a lot of things into our family - including entertainment! I spend a lot of time with the little guy at all hours of the day - and I have loved just watching him. He is a big smiler when he sleeps - sometimes even to the point of laughing. Makes us wonder what he is dreaming about. This video is not the best in quality and it might be a little long - and maybe boring to many - but to me, it is incredible to watch his little newborn expressions. And, as they say...."there is nothing like a sleeping baby!" So...if it has been a long time since your little one was this small...or you just want to enjoy his peaceful sleep - click below!