Cruz's Birthday Date

We have started a new tradition in our family!! Birthday dates. I can not take credit for the idea. After reading about several other families that do it we decided that it would be a great 'fit' for us. We have committed to taking each of the children out on a date some time around their birthday. Just daddy, mommy, and the birthday boy or girl. We will do something that the child will enjoy, have dinner together, ect. In a family with many small children it can be challenging to have individual time with each little person. We are all looking forward to the special dates we will have in the future.

Cruz's birthday is right around the corner. August 12th to be exact. He will be turning 5!! Jose found a 'small town' tractor and truck pull and so on Friday we made arrangements to take Cruz on his first birthday date. When I told him what the plans were he was sooo excited and spent the rest of the day talking about what he thought he would see. Any of you who know Cruz know that he live, breaths, dreams, plays, anything with a motor and wheels. He requested that we travel in the "Dodge Ram" - Jose's truck. I told him that he would need to run that request past his dad:)

Mom agreed to keep the other children so when the time came to go we all packed up in the van, headed west 10 min to mom's, dropped the kids off, came back to our place and got in the Dodge Ram. (Sorry, I can not refer to it as just 'the truck' because in this house what kind of truck it is is very important and even Marcia refers to the truck as the Dodge Ram.) I have to admit that riding in the Dodge Ram added to the feel of the whole evening. After we loaded up we went 25 min east to get to the tractor pull.

Cruz was in his glory riding between us, listening to the rumble of the motor. He kept reaching for my hand and patting me. When we arrived at the fair he was anxious to get to the action. Corn dog was his pick for dinner.

Watching the bulldozer prepare the track.

I love having Cruz as my son. He is strong and active, sensitive and earnest. He loves to play for hours in our over sized sand box, eat any type of bread and sweets, pick on his sisters, be with his dad, spend time with his mawmaw and pawpaw, and in P.A. with Grandpa and Grandma. He has always shown much interest in God and desires to know more about him. During the last year, after a bed time conversation with Jose he expressed a desire to ask Jesus into his heart. Jose and I were grateful to have the opportunity to be with him as he made this decision. Immediately after praying he told us that he was very concerned about Iliana and Marcia and wanted to know if they had Jesus in their hearts. I talked with him about it for awhile and realized that he would not be happy until he could settle the matter in his mind. He went to Iliana's bed and explained the decision that he had made for Jesus. He asked her if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus into her heart. I told Iliana that it was not a decision Cruz or daddy or mommy could make for her and that if she did decide to please come and let us know. Ten minutes later she came to the living room and told Jose and I that she wanted to pray with us. Needless to say it was an awesome evening that we will never forget. I will never forget the persistence and earnestness in Cruz. He was very, very much desiring to know that his sisters would be in heaven, that they would have Jesus too.

Jose and I find the job of being parents very challenging and at times completely overwhelming. Above all I long to see my children love God! I am desperate to see them embrace all that God has planned for them, the best of what HE has in store. I want to see them take risks, do what seems undoable because they are where God wants them, doing what HE wants them to do, leaning on HIM, looking to Him for their identity, and purpose. Of laying down self and putting on Jesus. I want them to know that from the beginning of time their Loving Father has had in mind for them an incredible, exciting, full to over flowing adventure of a life.

So I often ask myself how do I teach my children to love God and have a passion for Him? I am not a parenting expert, but the answer I keep coming back to, is that we - Jose and I - have to live a life full of love for God, we have to live the life I described above with all our hearts. If we want our children to love God we better make sure that is where our passion is. That when real life hits hard we choose Him. I am also learning that praying for my children is the most important task I have as their mom.

When Cruz and Iliana asked Jesus to forgive them and come into their lives I knew that it was only the beginning of a long learning process. I have to admit that it scares me to think that these children are not only my children but young disciples and Jose and I are very much responsible for discipling them, helping them grow and mature in their faith.

We have NEVER given one of our kids a can of soda and told them it was 'theirs'. He was in his glory. Of course he picked the Pepsi.


Jose's highlight for the evening - the Case towing the John Deere!

It was an awesome evening. We all enjoyed our time together so much!