Who's the King of the Jungle?

Hola Family and Friends!

Have I told you lately how much I love you? Well I love you to the moon and back!

The Valverde house is busy and blessed as usual. Jaxon is talking so much and has learned several songs. I am counting down the days until school is out. Not because I don't like my job...in fact I love it! I have a great class and a BFF for a teaching partner. However, I have discovered this year that home is where my heart is so I will not be returning to teaching until the kid(s) are in school. That is of course if I let them go to school. I keep teasing David and Jaxon that I am going to homeschool our kids and call it "Mama's School of Love." And they will also attend "Mama's College of Love" then when they are 25 or older they can leave home. I know, I know, I may not say that when they are teenagers but for now the thought of my children EVER leaving home is just too much to bear! Of course I am being dramatic...maybe :)

Jaxon singing "Who's the King of the Jungle?"

Pay close attention to this one...Jaxon draws a circle and then says "circle."

"I prayed to the LORD and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

God has been revealing to me how much of my life is controlled by fear. I have committed myself to memorizing scripture on the subject so that everytime Satan whispers fear into my head I will have God's Word ready to yell back!

I do mean it when I say that we love you all and pray for so many of you often! Please let us know if there is anything we can ever pray for you about. We would be privileged to go to Jesus on your behalf!

Smiles,

Sabrina

January Updates

Hello friends and family! I have had this post in my draft box for some time! I am finally finding time to finish it. I am trying to make sure I blog once a month. Life is going by so fast and I do not want to forget all the little moments that make it so sweet!! I think I will begin with some Jaxon updates. He is learning and growing so much!



Jaxon at 18 months:



Diapers: Size 5

Height: 33 1/4 inches

Weight: 25 lbs 9 ounces
Favorite Food: Whole grain pasta with pasta sauce and beef

Favorite Activities: Being outside, hide and go seek, coloring, "BALL"...ball is the first word he says when he gets up in the morning. He has several but only one favorite and he could play with it all day!

Words: Jaxon is a talking machine these days. Some of the words he can say are: Bible, water, cup, more, mine, go, ball, bird, dog, vroom, basketball (not even joking), bath, car, keys, papa (for food),bug, book, block, ow, duck, balloon, bubbles, and so many more...often he will just repeat something we say and never use it again. It is so much fun trying to figure out what he is saying!

Why we think he is so cute!: There are not enough words but I will try to narrow it down :)

1.We have begun disciplining Jaxon. Making sure he obeys the first time etc. We were saying "No" when he did something he was not suppose to do. In return he pointed his finger at us and told us "no." As cute as that was it wasn't working. I finally started thinking about how empathetic Jaxon is. He often feeds his stuffed animals and gives them a drink of his sippy cups. He is pretty good at sharing his toys for his age. He often hugs and gives kisses without being prompted. So several weeks ago I stopped saying "no" and started showing him that it made me sad when he hits or takes toys etc... And so far it works! It is the cutest thing! So cute...I hope I'm not overusing it! He kicks when I change his diaper and then I show him a sad face and he puts up his hands and motions for a hug...and stops kicking! I hope it keeps working! He hasn't told me "no" in weeks, well except for when I tell him it is time for a bath :)

2.We also love the "vroom" sound he makes when he pushes his cars or when he is about to get in the car.

3. He is still a dancing machine! He has always loved to move!! Now he likes to sing also and will often find something to pretend like he is holding a microphone or grab his toy microphone. He has a toy drum that he likes to play with. Whenever he starts playing, we start singing along. He will stop and hand us his toy microphone.

4. Jaxon's Tia Teresa taught him to slap his knee and fake laugh. He does it everytime David and I are laughing about something that does not involve him. It is precious to watch!



Christmas Pictures

Best Buddies


Christmas Morning 2010

Daddy and Jaxon trying out Jaxon's new rides.

At the park with my handsome boy!

My favorite picture! This year we started teaching Jaxon about baby Jesus. He has a navitiy set where each little piece is in a separate box. By Christmas time he could pick out baby Jesus and would give him kisses. It was the sweetest thing! Notice how neatly each character is sitting in the stable...that is the David in Jaxon! He neatly sat up each figure in the stable everytime.

Jaxon could not wait to try out his new toys! He didn't want to keep unwrapping he just wanted to play!

"Let me at it!"

Christmas lunch

Baking with mommy!

"This is fun!"

"Who's the most handsome little boy in the world?"

JAXON PEDRO VALVERDE

December 2010



March 2010

In other news...
We have been reading several great books. I finally read Crazy Love by Francis Chan and I recently read Radical by David Platt.

Both are books that really caused us to evaulate our Christianity. Here is a quote from Radical that has stuck with me:

"We look back on slave-owning churchgoers of 150 years ago and ask, "How could they have treated their fellow human beings that way?" I wonder if followers of Christ 150 years from now will look back at Christians in America today and ask, "How could they live in such big houses? How could they drive such nice cars and wear such nice clothes? How could they live in such affluence while thousands of children were dying because they didn't have food and water? How could they go on with their lives as though the billions of poor didn't even exist?""

We have begun a journey of purifying our faith. It is taking some work to weed out what is the American version of Christianity and what is Christianity the way God intended it to be. We have sold many things we don't need including our televison so that we can give more. For Christmas we made donations in honor of family and friends instead of buying them more stuff that they don't need and probably don't want :) We have always given money to homeless people when we see them if we had cash on us. Now we stop get their name and go to the ATM if we don't have cash. We are being careful not to ignore the "least of these" among us or across the globe. In America we measure a church's success by budgets, butts, and buildings but God's plan for the Church is much deeper than that. We are the church and it is our prayer that these biblical principles that have been difficult for us will come easy to our children. David and I truly believe that our children's generation will experience a more pure version of Christianity as a result of this journey that we and many other Christians are on.

I encourage you to read Matthew 25:31-46 and Isaiah 58 this week.

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them,and do not hide from relatives who need your help." Isaiah 58:6-7

Much love,

Sabrina

Merry Updates

Jaxon gets cuter everyday! He is imitating everything we do...which is kind of scary! We are definitely putting ourselves in check much more lately! Especially since "NO!" seems to be his new favorite word. He scrunches up his little face, points his finger, and says "NO!" It is hard not to laugh :) He continues to be a sweet little guy most of the time. Always smiling and waving to everyone we meet. In the church nursery he always finds a doll and feeds her a play bottle. Then he walks around patting her. I told David he is going to rescue orphans from the streets one day!

He still loves to dance and has many new moves which you will see in the videos to come. He likes to raise his hands and "praise the Lord." He likes to lift up our shirts and tickle us. He even says "tickle, tickle!" He can do the motions for This Little Light of Mine and of course he has the "NO!" part down when his light tries to hide under a bushel :) His vocabulary is growing daily, he says: no, dog, bird, "bub" for bubbles, dada, more, up, ball, go, and his other favorite word- MAMA. He says mama all the time and it is music to my ears! He loves to read and he brings me book after book to read to him. At 16 months he is 25 lbs and 32 inches tall. Whew! I think we are all caught up on Jaxon happenings!

Jaxon praises to our Hillsong CD. He pointed to his drawer in order to request his microphone...so I gave it to him...and he began to sing!

Jaxon feeding his puppy. He was feeding it a long time before I got the Flip and then he kind of stopped but I wanted to remember how sweet he is. He is always taking care of his stuffed animals!

Jaxon knows where his snacks are kept. This day I heard him walking down the hall and I knew something was in his hand. I turned the corner to check on him and he was hugging the cracker box with one hand and had the other hand inside. He then dumped them on the floor! Watch to see how it all ended...

*This is our office trash can so it just has papers and the occasional sonic cup...nothing yucky :)

We are praying that each of you experience the JOY of Christ this Christmas season! In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan states, "A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that TRUE JOY doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God."

Choose Joy!

"Dear brothers and sisters,when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

Merry Christmas from David, Sabrina, and Jaxon Valverde

We love you!!!

The Frog Prince

Jaxon had a happy halloween! He enjoyed dressing up like a frog or at least he didn't seem to mind too much. We also visited a near by pumpkin patch. Here is our harvest happenings in pictures:

Here is Jaxon trying on his costume. Isn't he the sweetest frog you have ever seen? Mommy and Jaxon walking through the hay bale maze.

Jaxon taking his picture with a friendly scarecrow.

Jaxon's first halloween stop.

Nanny and Grampa Norris our sweet neighbors and church friends.

Ribbit!

Jaxon had a unique technique! One paintbrush in each hand and use the handle not the brush...brilliant ;)

Yummy! I don't get as excited about a good dessert as David does but this apple ice cream and apple dumpling was AMAZING! I had to snap this picture of us three sharing this yummy treat!

I love my family!

Jaxon loved playing in the hay stacks.

Jaxon and me about to tackle the maze!

This is a verse I recently found that I want to share with you. I have been praying this over Jaxon and for our family.

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." Proverbs 27:12

Praying for Godly wisdom for each of you!

Love and Smiles,

Sabrina

Happy Happenings

Jaxon is 14 months old! This has been one of the most fun months! He is changing and learning new things daily. Here is a note for my sweet Jaxon:

Jaxon!

You continue to light up our life!! And not just ours everyone you meet. You bring joy to your day care teachers. They always tell me how happy and sweet you are. They tell me that you LOVE to dance during chapel each morning. That does not surprise me...dancing is your favorite!! You love to laugh and the littlest things make you smile. I hope you are always that way!! Here are some of your stats:

Diapers: Size 4 (you have been in that size forever, your growth has really slowed down)

Food: Pasta, Mum Mums, anything with tomato sauce, fruit, fruit, and more fruit...some days that is all you will eat

Games: Pointing (is that a game?), Throwing your hands up and saying "oh", Peek-a-boo, basketball (you love to "shoot" hoops on your little play place

What's New?: Talking (we think you may be speaking a different language :) You love to talk to us, we just aren't sure what you are saying. You say mama and dada all the time and you know how to get our attention! You say ball and bye. You are great at waving and wave hi to everyone who comes down the road or passes us in the grocery store. You also are learning to sing "This little light of mine." You love to hold up your little light.

We love you Jaxon Pedro!!!

Here are some of our favorite pics. from the last month.

You are a great helper! You like to close the dishwasher and push the button to turn it on.

Climbing is one of your favorite activities. You now know how to slide with out help!

"More" you are really good at signing more! It lets us know you are hungry!!

You like to make the "vroom" sound with your lips while you are pushing your cars. Here lately you run around the house making that noise.

Handsome!!!

Hilarious! I went in your room to wake you up one morning and apparently some time during the night you grabbed your balloon which had been floating around in your room. You had a tight grip on it! Thankfully you didn't get tangled up in it! I won't make that mistake again!!

Daddy is your favorite dude!

Rainforest Cafe San Antonio, TX

You had a blast! Here you are pointing to the gorillas!



Thanks for checking in on us! We love you all!!!

Smiles,

Sabrina

Slam Dunk!

Catch Up!

Living in a small town has it's advantages and disadvantages. Lately we've been experiencing more of the disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is super s l o w Internet!! Therefore, that is my excuse for not updating sooner :) So here it goes...I will attempt to catch up on all the happenings of the last month!

I am teaching Kindergarten this year and loving it! I have a super class and the best teaching partner. She has honestly kept me sane in this crazy transition time. Leaving Jaxon has been one of the hardest things I have ever done! I knew it would be hard but I had no idea it would be this hard!! I miss seeing all of his little moments. I am definitely taking it day by day. God is showing me so much!! One of the things He gently whispered to me one morning when I was up early about to prepare Jaxon for his first day of daycare is that He is preparing me to minister to families. I was so fortunate to stay home for a year with Jax but that is not the reality for most people. Now I fully understand the day care to work to daycare to home to bed only to start over the next day scramble! I know He is allowing this situation to give me a new perspective and understanding. It still amazes me that God uses our every circumstance to teach and grow us. He is the creator of the universe yet He is interested in me!

Jaxon has been growing and changing so much! He has been saying so many words and has started running! He loves day care and his teachers can't get enough of him. On his first day I sent along a note with all of Jaxon's norm's, likes, dislikes etc.. I mentioned that we are teaching Jaxon to pray and that if they would help him put his hands together he will hold them and wait while they said a short prayer. When I arrived to pick him up his teacher told me that they did just what I asked and when all the other kids saw Jaxon praying they began putting their hands together so his teachers decided to pray with all of the kids. I know he is only a year old but I was just so proud! One of our prayers for him is that he will be a "spiritual champion" and he already is!!

David is being super man as usual! He is keeping everything at home going smoothly so I can relax and enjoy Jaxon when I'm home. David is so attached to Jaxon and misses seeing him on his lunch break. Every day I thank God for this man I get to share my life with! He keeps me laughing and grounded when the storms of life roll!!

Here are few pictures from a little outing we took Jaxon on before school started. We went to the Tot Spot at the Children's Museum in San Antonio. It was so cute to watch Jaxon play and interact with the other kids. He is so laid back kids would take his toys and he just walked away and then he found a little girlfriend he kept following around. He was trying to get her attention by hitting her on the head so I showed him how to hug her instead. I always say "hands are for hugging and helping not for hitting." He loves to hug!

Dada and Jaxon riding a bulldozer. They picked up rocks and then dumped them off at the work site. My heart melts every time I watch them two together. Whose the cutest boy in the whole wide world? Jaxon Pedro Valverde

that is a song we sing to him :)

He loved looking at the bubbles.

This picture makes me smile. Jaxon put every single one of those glow sticks into the holes. David and I sat for at least 10 minutes (which is a long time for a little guy to concentrate) and watched him take the sticks out one by one, place it in the hole, go back and get another one and do it again. We laugh all the time because Jaxon already shows some of his daddy's personality traits. This is one of those traits. I'm not sure if you would call it perseverance or perfectionism? We also laugh at Jaxon's ability to keep up with certain objects. If he is holding something and decides he wants something else he carefully puts in on the ground, if it moves or rolls he moves it back to it's original spot until he is satisfied with where it is and then goes and gets what he wants and he always comes back for it. I think it would be super if Jaxon gets David's orderly trait :)

Jaxon loves playing with dad!

The HEB play grocery store was not made for Jaxon but he saw the little cart and zoomed across the "store." Thankfully he didn't see the grocery shelves stocked with play food.

I thought I would leave you with this picture of Jaxon from this time last year. It is strange to be able to measure time by looking at the growth of your child. Time is truly a precious and fleeting gift!

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." Ecclesiastes 11:5

If you have never read the book of Ecclesiastes I challenge you to do so! It really helps put life into perspective. Just make sure to read it all the way through if you stop at the beginning or in the middle you might be a little bit depressed. Ha! Enjoy your time getting to know our Lord!

Smiles,

Sabrina