Dinner at The Champgne Room

Chad's boss and his wife, Henry and Bettie Holley (center of group picture), came in this week for a few days. They took our whole team to dinner at The Champagne Room in The Manila Hotel. The Manila Hotel was built in 1912 and played a role in WWII. During the Japanese invasion, it was where the high ranking officers of the Japanese forces took up residence and it is also where General McArthur returned and lived for several years when the United States liberated the Philippine Islands. The two ladies in the picture with me are Chad's teammates wives, Annie and Bambina. Both are from Argentina and wonderful and amazing blessings to me! We all take turns having meals together as families at least once a week. It would be so lonely without them.

Our spend the night party!

The day of the ER visit I had invited Reza, her girls, and two of her nieces over for a spend the night party....it grew to 10 people! So when we got back from the ER we had a house full. I made fajitas, we ate Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and watched the old Willy Wonka movie. I think the kids had a great time. I know mine did....but the nap when everyone left was my favorite thing!

Nykolas in stitches!

So, with all the active playing that goes on on our marble floor we have finally had a wound worthy of the ER. Nykolas was playing with his friend, Emilio on his push car and it fell over. Not exactly sure what caught his chin but it got cut. Never wanting to be the panicky mom, I put betadine on it and taped it up with surgical tape...thinking it would heal. Unfortunately, it just continued bleeding and I knew I would feel better if a doctor checked it out. So, with my ever faithful friend Tinette, off we went to the hospital. The hospital was wonderful! Clean, new and equipped with......a Starbucks! Nykolas received three stitches and several x-rays. All the hospital staff were great. And in spite of being held down and pricked and stitched, Nykolas was high fiving the doctors, waving and riding in a VERY cool wheelchair when it was all over. Daddy was the only thing missing from our traumatic event. We were SO glad when he got home several days later.

Trying to look a bit like mommy!

Sometimes it feels like Romper Room at our house...

Shane, Enrique and Emilio visit often!

Snuggles with daddy!!!!

The Wiggles are popular at our house. Nykolas was even given a Wiggles t-shirt by some friends and Aunt Hollye sent him a video! Of course, this moment of stillness only lasts for about 5 minutes but you take what you can get with a one year old.

All ready for church in Aunt Christi's matching outfits!

Concepts create idols, only wonder grasps anything.
Gregory of Nyssa

Maybe it's the unanswered questions that keep us going and not that which we think we know. It is too easy to 'set up camp' and create idols in a land of comfort and security. Wonder only comes when we 'step outside'.

I've been slowly going through Ephesians.....munching, meditating, dwelling....I've always loved that verse "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" but now, for obvious reasons, I love "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.".....to the praise of the glory of His grace...that phrase is repeated several times in Ephesians 1.....grace means 'help given by God to man'....the rest of Ephesians 1 speaks of all that has been lavished on us as sons and daughters through Christ's blood - redemption, an inheritance, revelation of mysteries, blessings, forgiveness.....my kids, although adopted, feel completely secure in our love and family, really not knowing that our family has been put together in a unique way, it doesn't matter one nit to them.....I don't always understand the concepts involved in predestination or all the gifts bestowed so lavishly but I am in awe and wonder at watching an earthly example of our heavenly family works. The love is boundless! There is that praise song "You are the air I breathe".....I feel that now, I've never felt it before.....I watch my children breathe and delight in every rise of fall of their bodies....I want to breathe them into me, I love them so much. That is how God feels about us as His adopted children.