Stories About Michael ...

These boys that God has given to me are truly a challenge on every level imaginable.  I grew up with sisters and boys sure are different.  Michael right now is my challenge partly because he's 2 and partly because he's Michael.  Here are some stories:

My Name Is Joshua ...

So Michael and I are playing ball on Thursday night.  He actually took a nap, which was good, but it also meant that he would stay up later in the evening (which is also bad).  He's being goofy and we are throwing the ball back and forth.  I was telling him good job Michael, good throw Michael, etc.  He looks at me and tells me that I need to call him Joshua.  I said, your not Michael anymore.  He says no, I'm Michael Aaron, call me Joshua.  He's such a crazy little boy!  So I go along with his game and call him Joshua.

So this morning, Friday, he remembered the game and has decided that he still wants to be called Joshua.  I said, well who in our family will be called Michael, and he said Sara is Michael. 

So Michael is now Joshua.  I guess we should have listened to Joshua when we were looking for a name for Michael.  He wanted us to call Michael, Joshua - LOL.  Then again, if we listened to Joshua, Sara's name would have been Lemonade.

Hyland Teething Tablets ...
On Wednesday morning, Joshua comes knocking at our door telling us that Michael is eating something white on top of his changer.  Two things alarmed me in that statement 1) that Michael is eating some unknown substance that is white and 2) that Michael has climbed on top of his changer all by himself.

Guillermo and I get out of bed at 7:30 in the morning.  We go get Michael off his changer and take a look at what he found.  Michael found and opened all by himself some Hyland Teething tablets.  Sara was talking about how they looked like marshmallows and that Michael was eating marshmallows.  Michael was MAD that we took him down from his changer and took away his marshmallows.

UGH!  Can I say that I was not having a good mommy moment!  I couldn't believe that he climbed up on his changer and found those.  They were 2 shelves up and not in front.  UGH!  Why does Michael do things that the other 2 never, ever did?  UGH!  Michael messed up my morning to say the least.  We then had to seriously look at everything else in his room and add more baby proofing stuff around the house.  After all, if he's doing this at 2 when he's locked in his room, what will he do in the middle of the night when he's potty training?  Yeah, makes us panic a little.  Joshua & Sara we trust and know that they wouldn't do things ... Michael we don't trust.

This little boy gets into everything.  Granted Joshua got out a Perm. Marker and wrote in books, on his floor, on his bedding, on books and that drove us crazy, but that was it, for the most part.  That's all he did bad truly by himself in his room.  Sara hasn't done anything crazy or out of the ordinary.  Michael however, gets into trouble all by himself.

I must say that I'm thankful that Joshua was watching out for him.  I'm thankful that they all play well together in the morning and were paying attention to Michael.  Thankfully, Michael did not have any adverse side effects to the tablets.  We don't think he ate much, it was hard to tell though.

I must confess that I was irritated with that little boy.  He messed up my morning plans.  I was planning on going to Bible Study, but I couldn't very well leave him in child care knowing that he ingested an unknown quantity of tablets.  If something happened and they didn't see it, it would surely be my fault, and I didn't want that on my head.  Yet, I was irritated to have my plans changed so early in the morning.

Jumping Off Table ...
So Guillermo and I are talking in the kitchen on Thursday morning.  He went to take Hershey to the vet to get her stitches removed (she's in full recovery - Praise the Lord!).  Guillermo was telling me stories of how the vet people just love her (so sweet!).  Well as he was talking and I was listening, Sara & Michael are playing in the living room.

It never fails, the moment I take my eyes off them to actually do something, like listen & talk with my husband, they act up.  UGH!  Somehow, Sara & Michael decide to climb on top of the coffee table, and Michael being Michael decided to jump off.  Well he jumps off holding a toy guitar.  Yep, you guessed it, he falls and cuts his lip on the guitar.  Thankfully, the guitar doesn't have strings or anything, but he lands on the neck and it jams into his mouth somehow cutting the front part of his inside lip.

UGH - Seriously, why can't I have a conversation without them getting into trouble.  This little boy gets into so many things and is so busy.  Why is it when he's trouble he loves to laugh with the cutest smile and then of course, tell me I love you mommy.  Although, this time wasn't laughter, it was tears & crying.

Guillermo was home, so we rush to him and stop the bleeding, put some ice on it and make things better.  Michael seems to always find a way to get hurt.  He's a challenge!

I Am Your Fadther (kinda of how he says it) ...
So this morning I'm playing with the kids in the living room before Sara has to go to preschool.  Sara found an elephant to play with and a panda bear.  Michael found a dinosaur to play with.  He discovered that it makes noise and swings it's tail.  Sara gives me the elephant and we are all playing together.  The dinosaur is chasing the panda & elephant.  Michael has captured my elephant and I'm talking about how the dinosaur shouldn't hurt the elephant and such.  The next thing I know Michael is having the dinosaur say to the elephant, I am your Fadther.  Oh boy, can you tell they play star wars too much!

Last week, I was playing Star Wars w/Joshua & Sara (Michael was there but wasn't participating too much).   Anyway, they had me be General Grievous and Sara was Padame and Asoka.  So she "attacks" me and kills me and then she comes to me and says, don't die, your my Fadther.  Joshua of course, is upset, because General Grievous is not her father.  They are crazy, I tell you crazy!

Because I Say So & No ...
Michael has learned from a very, very, very early age to ask "why" and to say "no".  He says "no" to almost everything.  Of course, the funny thing is that when we put him in time out and then ask him if it's okay to hit, he says yes.  Go figure, for the boy who always says no, he will say yes when we are trying to discipline him.  I think he does it on purpose, but I'm not sure - LOL.

Well, this saying NO to everything is starting to drive me up a wall.  And then when I ask him "why" he will tell me "because I say so."  Can you see what a personality this little guy has already?  I am really truly hoping he "grows" out of this soon!!

Eating ...
Boy, Michael is stubborn!  I really need to let him starve, I really do (in a good way of course).  Michael is one of those kids who would rather you do everything for him, because he either likes being lazy or likes being in charge.  I'm not sure which, but either way, he really needs to learn to eat by himself.  His favorite thing to tell me at dinner is, No mommy, you feed me.  You feed the Michael.

Can I say that I am so, so tired of feeding this boy.  Mommy guilt hasn't let me let him starve yet, but I'm really close to letting him for a week.  As any mom knows, you want your kids to eat, especially healthy foods.  So Michael at dinner time, promptly complains how he can't do it and feed himself.  So I give in because at that point, I'm tired and so ready for them to eat and go to bed.

I really need to be firm with him, and hopefully, I will soon cuz this boy needs to feed himself with his own spoon & fork at every meal.

Frozen Waffles ...
So Michael one day decided that he didn't want to wait for the waffle to cook.  He said he wanted to eat it frozen.  I in amazement of what he wanted, decided, sure have at it (thinking he won't like it at all), gave it to him frozen.  Well, I was completely wrong - he LOVED it frozen.  Now he wants it frozen every morning, not cooked.

I told Guillermo about Michael's frozen waffles.  Well Guillermo didn't really like that he was eating them frozen and told me I need to cook them/heat them up for Michael.

So each morning now, I'm battling Michael demanding frozen waffles and me wanting to honor Guillermo's decision.  UGH!  It's difficult, because I frankly don't care if he eats a frozen waffle, it was previously cooked and then frozen, so I'm okay with it.  But because I love my hubby and want to honor him, I cook the waffles and the entire time, Michael complains.  Wow, can I have a more stubborn child?  UGH!

Thankful for Teachers ...
So we have been doing thank you sheets writing down what we are thankful for each day.  Michael randomly said one day that he was thankful for teachers.  I asked what kind of teacher and he said Bible Study teachers ... so sweet!  The ladies at Cornerstone Fellowship are so fantastic taking care of Michael (and Sara too).

Thank you God for my Body ...
So Sara & Michael are getting ready for lunch.  Sara decides to pray and goes on & on, Michael starts copying her words and as I'm listening he's telling Sara that they need to be thankful for their body.  Evidently Michael is thankful for his body - LOL!

Want to go in that grocery store ...
Poor Michael thinks that every errand we run is to the grocery store.  As we were walking the dog, we went over to Starbucks for a morning snack for the kids.  Poor Sara doesn't know what the name of the place is, just knows that it has a green sign.  The shopping center has CVS/Pharmacy in it and as we are walking by, Michael says that he wants to go in that grocery store.  Oh boy!  He's upset when we walk by it again and don't go in ... I don't know why, he loves shopping and loves grocery stores.

Joshua ...
Quick Joshua story ... today he writes down what he is thankful for and then shows it to me once it's all done ... he wrote down his butt.  Yep, he's learning to spell and quite proud of it!  Oh boy!

JCPenny's Potties ...
So my mom called today to let me know that JcPenny's was having a sale on Christmas dresses.  I always buy Sara's dress there because they are so cute!  So after school, I tell them we are going to stop by the mall to get Sara a dress.  She's excited to say the least!

So when we get to the store, I have them all go potty, no sense going over to the kids section only to have to go back to the potties.  Okay, everyone went potty, hooray, off we go to the kids section.  We get there and start looking around.  Sara looks at me and says she needs to go potty again.  UGH!!!!  We were just there, why didn't you get it all out when we were just there.  Seriously!!  So we go back to the potties. 

They have a "waiting" area and we wait for her.  Joshua is fascinated with the little dispensers that you can put a quarter in.  Well he's starting to read everything and I see his mind working.  He asks me, what's that word with the T there?  I say, I'm not sure and it's not working.  Then he sees a word with the word N on it.  I Read the word to him - it says Napkin.  I say it must be like a wet wipe for your hands - LOL.  He's not quite sure I'm telling the truth, but let's it go thankfully!!

Well, Sara is finally all done and I have to go help her with toilet paper.  Such is the glamorous life of a mommy!  We finally wash our hands and go back to the kids section.  She finally picks out a cute navy blue dress (although I liked the ones with red, grey, and black spot, but she did not).  We wander around a little while longer, finding some pants on sale for Sara, cuz her 3T's aren't fitting any more.  We get in line and Joshua declares that he has to go potty again.

Seriously!!  Again???  UGH!!  Don't worry mom, I can wait until after you pay.  Great, thanks Joshua!  So we go back to the bathrooms.

Oh did I mention that the bathrooms are right by the elevator?  Did I mention that Michael is obsessed with Elevators???  Yeah, he's talking & talking & talking about wanting to go into the elevator, wanting to push the button and why can't we go in it ... yep, taking 3 kids shopping isn't fun, nope, not really fun.

So, Sara, Michael & I decide to wait outside the bathrooms for Joshua.  Sara has decided that she is tired and loudly declares that she wants to sit.  Well we are literally right next to the doors to the bathroom as she says this.  A group of employees is walking by and waiting to get on the elevator.  They start laughing at what she said.  Her sit didn't quite sound right and sounded more like it had an "h" in it.  Thankfully, one of the gals says to her co-workers, no she said sit, look that's what she's doing, she's sitting.  Phew!  Really, I didn't teach my kid to say that word, especially not when it relates to going to the bathroom.  Oh boy!!  Mommy doesn't say that word ever, and neither do my kids.

It was embarrassing, yet funny at the same time!  Thankfully Joshua was in the bathroom so he didn't hear the play on words, because I'm sure he would have learned a new word from that conversation!

The End ...
Okay, PHEW, that's enough stories today ... I'm tired of writing.  Aren't my kids crazy?  I tell you ... they are the most challenging thing I've ever encountered.  They are both rewarding & frustrating.  They are ever so loving, which amazes me!  That the best part, how they at the end of the day will always say I love you!  So sweet!!

What is God Trying to Teach Me?

Wow, another crazy week, but that's becoming the norm!  It feels like it should be Friday, but it's only Wednesday.  Here's what's been happening in our lives so far ...

Hershey:
Yesterday, Guillermo had to take Hershey back to the vet because she was vomiting up her food in the evenings.  My initial thought was that the medication was upsetting her and it was probably a side-effect of the meds.  The vet watched her yesterday and they determined that it was probably the meds too.  Of course, that was after they did some x-rays, of course.  Poor thing, she came back home and now has new food and some new meds.  She kept her food down yesterday, so we are hoping and praying for the best.

Guillermo:
Well, Joshua had been "dying, dying, absolutely dying" for a Nerf Gun for his Birthday.  We told him when he was 6 he could have them.  We figured Michael would be almost 3 and probably wouldn't eat them - LOL.  So we got Joshua this really cool pack of 6 small Nerf guns (you load the darts one at a time, which I liked).  So last Saturday, October 23rd, we are playing as a family in the family room with the guns and the whistling darts that go with them.  We didn't get the eye gear stuff, which looking back, we should have found something for them ... I just didn't want to shell out 20 bucks for 2 eye gear things from Nerf.  I was pretty sure that they wouldn't wear them and they would break within 20 minutes.

So Guillermo accidentally shoots Joshua near the eyes.  This irritates Joshua and he tried (on purpose) to hit Guillermo back in the eye.  He tried 3 times before he did it.  He was quite proud of himself.  However ... Guillermo wears hard contact lenses.  Getting hit in the eye was not good, especially considering his hard contacts lenses.  Thankfully, Guillermo somewhat saw it coming, so it didn't hit him square in the eye, just to the left of it.  It still hurt though, that's for sure!

We really should have stopped playing, but we continued on.  I decide to hit Guillermo and I'm terrible with my aim ... I was shooting for his chest/arms and I end up hitting his eye.  Oh boy, I feel terrible ... it was the same spot Joshua hit him in earlier, but this time he didn't see it coming and it hurts, badly.  Guillermo has several minutes of darkness in his one eye.  Which is so not good!

I immediately tell the kids to put on their shoes ... I tell Guillermo we should stop by his eye doctor right away.  We finally get over to the eye doctor.  She takes a look and dilates his eye.  Thankfully, nothing was damaged in the back of his eye.  The white part has a bump on it from the dart.  The swelling should go down she said ... poor Guillermo.

Well, he still has a small spot in his eye that is dark when he is looking at things.  He said it's not too bad, but that the doctor said it might not go away, or it might.  He said she said the fluid in the eye is what was making it puffy/swelling.

So on top of all that, Guillermo a few days before started wearing new hard contact lenses.  His prescription changed a little and they ordered him new ones.  He got them and they were a little strange, but he wore them anyway.  Well, this week his eyes began really bugging him, especially the one that got hurt.  His contacts felt terrible and he wanted to go back to the eye doctor.

So yesterday, Tuesday, after taking the dog to the vet, he goes to the eye doctor.  The doctor takes a look and realizes that they gave him one contact with the special coating and one without.  The contact without the coating is the one that was bugging him and he now had a deep scratch on his eye because of it.  UGH!  Poor Guillermo!  He now has to wear his glasses (which are old, he was planning on getting new ones, but hadn't ordered them yet).  He now has to have eye meds and stop wearing his contacts for probably at least a week.  Oh yeah, and the eye that was scratched, yep you guessed it, it was the same eye that got hit with the dart.

We went to 2 different eye glasses places and found out that his prescription is not typical and that he would have to have special lenses.  Costco couldn't do them, so we went back to the eye doctor today to see how his cut is healing and to pick out new glasses.  The new glasses will look good on him and he should get them back in about 7 to 10 days.

Guillermo has to continue his eye meds and hopefully, the cut will heal without any damage.  Poor Guillermo!!

Michael:
He's such a strange little boy ... today he decided that he wanted to not wait for a waffle to be toasted - he wanted to eat it frozen.  And he did, he ate the entire thing frozen.  Crazy little boy!

He is now really into the mommy play with me stage.  So now I have to spend extra time each day playing trains, reading books or whatever else he wants me to do.  The other day he comes over to me and says "Guess What Mommy?"  I have no idea, so I say "What Michael".  He says "I Love You Mommy!"  He can be cute when he wants to, that's for sure!

We have the Patch the Pirate Kung Fooey Kid Music CD and we've been listening to it a lot.  Michael now kicks the air and says "Kung Fooey, Kung Fooey".  It's so cute!

Michael is also into the Why & No Stage.  He's difficult to discipline and very stubborn.  He cries about everything and loves to whine.  I'm so ready for the terrible 2's to be over but I'm not sure if I'm ready for the terrible 3's either - LOL.

Sara:
She's such a delight!  She brought her coloring books with her this morning when we went to help Guillermo pick out his new glasses.  It was so cute watching her intently color.  She loves to sit and color ... so precious!

She's enjoying preschool.  Yesterday, one of her school friends had a birthday.  So Sara said that she's celebrating it today and that so far it's been a good birthday - LOL.  She also got a calculator as a present from the birthday boy at school.  Can I tell you that Joshua & Sara were fighting over it.  Joshua wanted it for his homework and Sara wanted it because it was hers.  Oh boy ... they worked out a deal, Joshua can borrow it next week for his homework, but Sara gets to keep it in her room because it's hers.

Sara loves doing her preschool homework.  Each Tuesday we come home with it and she dives right in and colors and works on her letters.  I love it!  They are beautiful pieces of art :-)

Joshua:
We had parent teacher conferences last week and got his report card.  He's doing really well and we are so proud of him!  We are delighted that his teacher really enjoys having him in class.  His teacher said that Joshua really keeps her on her toes, but that she's enjoying that part of his character.  Joshua still needs to work on stopping when his name is called.  I almost feel like we should puppy train him ... Joshua ... here's your treat, Joshua ... good boy, here's your treat ... Joshua ... good boy - LOL.  Do you think it would work??

He's been complaining a lot, so I'm breaking out the "complaining circle chart".  Also called the "sin chart" from the kids.  Each day he doesn't complain he will get a sticker and each day he does complain he will get a black circle (called the sin spot).  They so don't want black "sin" spots, so they seems to do well when I bring out these circle charts.  We are also doing one for Good Table Manners too because I'm tired of them putting their feet on the table and frankly, behaving badly at the table.  Hopefully, by the time Thanksgiving comes they will sit properly at the table and not complain :-)

Okay, so finally I come to me ... Katricia:
Well, I titled this What is God Trying to Teach Me?  How on earth does this fit into what I've typed above?  Good question!

I'm not exactly sure what He's trying to teach me.  It's been a LONG 6 weeks of constant stress with Guillermo working endlessly.  He's been working at least 4 to 5 nights a week in the evenings from 11pm to 3am.  It's been back to back nights.  The worst part is that they expect him to wake up and be on a conference call at 9am to discuss what he did at 3am.

I'm a very light sleeper and for some reason once I've been woken up, it's difficult to fall back asleep.  So we both have been sleep deprived for about 6 weeks.  Some nights we do get some good sleep, but most nights we don't.  Although, I think the past week, we've gotten a little more sleep because Guillermo's work project is finally starting to wind down.

I love Guillermo and I'm thankful that he has a job and provides so well for our family!  I totally feel bad for him that he has to work these crazy hours.  It's effected his sleep, his health, his eating patterns, and his attitude/mind-set.  It's effected my sleep and my attitude (I find that I've been grumpy with the kids and with him too).  While Guillermo does his best to not bring work stress home, just the fact that he goes to bed so late provides stress.  I do my best in the mornings to let him sleep, so that means I'm driving Joshua to school, making him lunch and getting him ready.  Normally Guillermo drives him to school.  So I'm doing my best to fill in the gaps and do what it takes to keep things going.  So it's been stressful ... but we have survived (not as graciously as we could have, but I'm not perfect and neither is Guillermo).

So the other day, Guillermo and I were talking ... something we haven't had much time to do lately.  He was saying why are we going through this again?  It's something that happens every 6 months or so in our lives I think.  He said what are we suppose to learn?  What is God trying to teach us?  Frankly, both of us are tired of going through these up & downs with his job.  We aren't getting any younger you know :-)

Those questions make me pause and think ... what have I learned from this?  Well, this time around I've chosen each day to say things that would cause a fight with Guillermo.  I've chosen to not "push his buttons".  I've chosen to not react badly when he's irritated with me and looking for an argument.  It's a decision that I have to constantly be on guard about because it's easy to let myself have a bad attitude or pity-party and give into a fight.  I've chosen to seek God.

In the past, when things get crazy/stressful, we fight because things annoy me/irritate me/I say things or push his buttons/I get grumpy.  I've learned to be less selfish this time around (I think).  Honestly, the hardest part about him working nights is that he spend so much energy & effort into work that the last bit he has to give goes to the kids.  I feel that I tend to be ignored.  Not that he wants to do that to me, but that's the way it goes.  In the past, oh boy about the 3rd week I would be so miserable and unhappy at being ignored, that I would get angry.  Then we would fight.  This time around, I've learned to push through those feelings and not let them fester.  I've also learned thanks to some amazing Bible Studies (Breaking Free from Beth Moore, One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer, Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy by Kelly Minter, and Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst), books and sermons to let God fill me up.  I've learned that it is my relationship with God that defines me, not my husband or my circumstances.  I've learned that God can fill all those empty and sometimes lonely spots in my heart.  I've learned that God never designed Guillermo to fill those empty and lonely places, that's not his job, it's God.  I feel like I've grown up a lot with God in the last 11 months since I started Breaking Free w/Beth Moore. 

I've been more intentional on relying on God and not on Guillermo.  I think that's the biggest thing that I've learned and this time around I've not only got it in my head but also in my heart.  I've chosen to not dwell on what I want, but what is right and good for the sake of Guillermo and my family.  I'm putting God 1st and going to him for assurance, blessing, comfort and sanity :-)  He's provided and has been amazing ... I pray that every time I'm faced with the lies that Satan loves to tell me, I hope that I will remember these crazy last 6 weeks and remember how God's been faithful.

It's funny, we really are going through the same things we went through last year.  We've had money issues (thanks to the dog, new glasses and just plain old life stuff), we've had health issues (my ear infection & his eye cut, plus we've all had a terrible cold/cough that lasted about 4 weeks), we've had lack of sleep issues, we've had attitude issues, we've had kid issues ... and yet through all of it we haven't given in to fighting.  It's been amazing!  All of those issues one on top of the other in the past would have driven us down an ugly road, but this year, Praise the Lord, we haven't drifted off the road.

So I think God is teaching me and I'm finally listening and obeying.  Guillermo's learning stuff too, which is way cool.  This time around, he's speaking out more at work and not "taking" all the junk they dish out.  I'm not sure what else God is teaching us, but we have been faithful to Him and He's been faithful to us.  We have so enjoyed the sermon series at Cornerstone Fellowship about Restoring the Soul a Study on David's Life.  Those messages have been so timely and have stayed with me throughout these weeks.  God called me (us) to hear those sermons and I'm glad we answered/obeyed Him.  He's blessed us and has filled up our cups/minds with His Word.

So that's my life ... the good, the bad and the ugly.  I hope you've been encouraged as you read about my struggles ... I hope that you too will intentionally seek God!

30 Days of Thanks ...

I'm so excited that it's November.  I must admit that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It's one of the rare holidays that's not about buying stuff or getting stuff.  It's a holiday designed for giving thanks!  We are so blessed and have much to give thanks for in our lives.  Having an entire month to focus on our blessings is indeed one of the reasons I love November.

 

In our family, we have started the tradition of each night writing down what we were thankful for in the day.  The rules are we cannot repeat the same thing ... they can be thankful for the same thing, but have to think of something new too.  Today is day 1 on our 30 days of Thankfulness.

 



Michael fell asleep by his baby gate today ... so cute!

Today I am thankful that I am able to be a Stay-At-Home Mommy!  I'm thankful that my husband has a good job that allows me to fulfill my childhood dream of staying at home with the kids.  While most days, I must admit I'm not very thankful to be taking care of them.  When I look at the big picture of how God provides and what He has given me to take care of and nurture ... I'm thankful!

 

It's a lot of work that sometimes I don't handle so well, but I'm always thankful that we get to start each day fresh and with a clean slate.  I'm thankful that God is taking care of me and these kids.  I'm thankful that He's at work in my life teaching & showing me how to be more Christ-like each & every day.  I'm thankful that these kids don't keep a grudge or record of my bad mommy moments.  I'm thankful that they love me even when I'm not very lovable.  I'm thankful that they call me mom!

 

I've learned so much from having kids.  A lot about myself (my selfishness) and a lot about kids.  I've learned that it's not easy, it's not a fairy tale and it's difficult.  I've learned that I have to choose to see the good in these kids instead of the bad, difficult, frustrating or annoying things.  I truly am thankful to stay home all day and take care of my kids!

 

I'm thankful that my husband continues to give me grace when I fail in taking care of the kids or the house.  I'm thankful that he understands when things don't always get accomplished, even though I try to get everything done.  I'm thankful that he can see that one day we will have a clean house again ... when they are 18 and go off to college :-)

 

Here's what the kids were thankful for today ...
Joshua is thankful today for his toys.
Sara is thankful today for her Zooables (a toy).
Michael is thankful for his Thomas Trains (that's what I picked for him ...)

More things I'm also thankful today for ...

• I'm thankful that I was able to take the kids to Yogurtland's for an after school treat!  Red Velvet Cupcake Batter yogurt is amazingly delicious and Joshua enjoyed the Pumpkin Pie yogurt today.  Yum!
• I'm thankful that the Michael & Joshua helped each other out by putting all the Thomas Trains back in the box together.
• I'm thankful that I was able to wash & fold laundry for my family.
• I'm thankful that I was able to play puppets with Sara today.
• I'm thankful that Sara loves to color and Joshua did his homework.
• I'm thankful that someone finally showed my sister's condo to their client ... so glad to hear that they liked it ... praying that someone will make an offer.
• I'm so thankful today that Hershey is healing ... it's a long & slow process, but each day she has is a blessing to our family!
• I'm thankful that Joshua goes to a school where the teacher enjoys him and doesn't mind that he keeps her on her toes.
• I'm thankful for Sunday's sermon about sin and how it's reminded me today about my attitude and selfishness sins.
• I'm thankful that the kids are asleep and I was able to move Michael from the floor back to his bed without waking him up.
• I'm thankful that I was able to cook dinner tonight for my family.
• I'm thankful that even though they complained about eating Broccoli, they still ate all of it (Michael actually loves it).
• I'm thankful that God has given me 3 beautiful children to raise ... what a huge task!
• I'm thankful that God is there beside me as I raise them ... I pray that they will grow up to Love God, Serve Him and Others.
• I'm thankful that I am able to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen for my family.
• I'm thankful for my Bible Study group!



Michael sound asleep by his bedroom door & baby gate

I'm thankful for this month of November. I'm thankful that I get to intentionally look at each day with thankfulness and get out of the "rut" of looking at the bad things in each day. I hope you will join me in my 30 day journey of thanks!

 

 

 

Psalms 69:30 "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving."

My Crazy Day ...

Phew, can I just tell you that today, October 26th has been a crazy day?  It has gone from one extreme to the other and then back again.  It's happened so quickly that I've got to just take a moment to process all of it.

I woke up in the morning, doing my usual routine ... getting the kids breakfast, making Joshua lunch, making sure Joshua is dressed, putting the dog outside for her breakfast, making sure Joshua has the right stuff in his backpack, getting dressed, driving Joshua to school, & coming back home.  All this is done in a whopping 20 minutes, why because I don't want to wake up.  I so want to sleep, but alas I cannot because I have responsibilities called Joshua, Sara & Michael (not to mention Guillermo, Hershey and Precious).

So, Guillermo noticed that Hershey was acting strange last night.  She just wasn't herself and we didn't know why.  He was concerned, and rightly so as it turned out.  We talked over & over about what could be wrong, did she eat anything she wasn't suppose to, etc.

When I put Hershey out in the morning, she was a little slow, but I chalked it up to not being fully awake (kinda of like me, you know).  Well, Guillermo went out to check on her and saw she didn't even eat her breakfast (about 10 minutes after I fed her).  Well, that was very unusual.  So Guillermo immediately got on the phone with the vet.

So, I drove Joshua to school, got back home and Guillermo had the younger 2 kids dressed (sweet - I didn't have to do that, thank you Guillermo!).  He was getting ready and said that the vet told him to take her there ASAP.

Guillermo wasn't sure if I wanted to go to the vet with him or not.  Well, after thinking about it, I decided that I really didn't want to sit in the vet's office with Sara & Michael.  It would probably drive me up a wall, so it would be best if we stayed home and waited to hear back from Guillermo.

So the waiting time begins ... I decide to do some household chores.  I must wash Sara's laundry, she's running out of pants and such.  She's been telling me for the last few days that I need to do her laundry because her bin is full.  She's quite happy that I'm washing her stuff, by the way.

Guillermo calls back about an hour later ... he tells me that the vet is running a blood panel test and also an x-ray.  He said that they should have the results within the hour and will either give me a call or him a call.

So I wait some more ... Sara & Michael are starting to fight, so I have them watch some TV to help keep me sane while I wait.  I work a little on my work stuff, updating a spreadsheet that I haven't touched since May (yeah, I'm way behind).  Get some info for an FHA program for my sister's condo to put on her new flyer's.

Next I get the call from the vet.  They tried to call Guillermo 1st, but weren't able to get him and left a message.  So I talk to the doctor and fervently take notes, because I've got to relay the information to Guillermo and my short term memory is terrible and I would forget it all within 5 minutes. 

The news is not good, not good at all.  The vet says that Hershey has a tumor in her liver.  The blood work came back showing that her liver values were high.  They did a quick ultra-sound and it appears that the tumor is just on one side of her liver but that it is deep within her liver.  She also has some sort of fluid in her abdomen as well.

The vet gives us basically 3 options:

1) treat her for the symptoms she came in with ... nausea (wasn't eating), antibiotics (she has a fever, which means possible infection) and some liver supplements.
2) do a discovery biopsy and wait for the results (possibly Thursday)
3) do aggressive surgery and remove the tumor (today if possible because a surgeon is on site today for another patient and could do Hershey's in the afternoon).

Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  Not what I was expecting to hear at all!  Today wasn't going to be a nice normal day any longer, that's for sure!

I called Guillermo to relay all the information that I wrote down.  He then wanted to call the doctor himself to ask more questions and conferenced me in with them.  Guillermo was leaning towards option #3 because Hershey was youngish.  She's only 10 years old and could possible live to 13 to 15 years.

Can I tell you how much the sermon at Cornerstone on Sunday came back to Guillermo & my mind during that phone call?  It's not my stuff ... it's not my dog ... it's not my money ... it all belongs to God!  I am so thankful that God drew us to church on Sunday morning to hear that message! 

God has graciously and generously provided for us all of our lives.  We have not lacked for anything that was critical.  I have seen over & over again how God comes through in amazing ways and provided just in the "nick of time".  Of course, my initial reaction & thought wasn't so very God focused ... it was oh no, I didn't want to spend money on a dog.  I felt like we were finally "getting ahead" somewhat and were able to save the money for our property taxes and we were "good".

Having this expense would cause us to temporarily "dip" into our long-term savings account to cover the surgery.  After all, we have promised each other and God we would never go into debt again with credit cards.  We will not carry a balance.  I relayed these thoughts to Guillermo and said I'm okay taking care of the dog, but you need to be okay with us using the savings to help her.

Guillermo reminded me of the sermon on the phone ... it's not my stuff.  So we waited to get an estimate from the vet, knowing that it's not my money, but God's.  We felt like Hershey deserved a chance to live a longer life.

Truly, my trust in God never failed as we faced this financial choice.  I just felt like, ugh! -  really, we have to spend how much?  So as I was waiting, I was reminded by God that He had a plan and was providing for us and our needs.  It's not immediate, but it's money that will be coming in via my job as a Realtor.  I have clients that are in process of buying a home, that will probably close right around the time the vet bill will be due on the credit card and the property taxes will be due.  While I (we) had other plans in mind for the money, God knew.  He just knew!  His grace is amazing and I'm so thankful that He takes care of Guillermo & I.  While we might not have exactly what we want, I know we have exactly what we need.  He's teaching us to live within our means and to trust Him.  He has never failed us, never!!  We are truly blessed!

Prior to finding out about Hershey's diagnosis, I was actually thinking about Christmas and participating in the Adopt-A-Family program.  I was wondering how many familes we could adopt this year and if we could get families w/small children.  I LOVE helping others at Christmas time and have been teaching my kids that Christmas is not about them and getting presents.  Christmas is about Jesus and serving others.  So having this expense from Hershey did dampen my mood, but then I realized that God will provide and we can still be generous to those in need.  We will just make sure that others are served 1st and then what's left over we have.

So Hershey went into surgery at 2:30pm today.  Got an update from Guillermo & the doctor about the time and everything.  So we wait again.  I get ready to get Joshua & Sara from school.  Michael was actually napping (Praise the Lord!) and not playing, so I sadly had to wake him up to get Joshua.  He was sound asleep, poor guy (it's tough being the 3rd child ... I've decided).

Just as I arrived at school to go into the playground, I get a call from the vet.   The vet calls to inform me that the worst case senario is happening.  Her turmor is terrible, they aren't sure they can remove it completely.  They aren't sure that she will recover.  The tumor is bleeding tremendously (they didn't anticipate that).  The doctor wants us to prepare for the worst and to possible make the decision that if they can't fix the tumor and stop the bleeding then we should have to consider putting her to sleep.  I immediately conference Guillermo in on the call and the vet relays all this information to Guillermo.  That gives me a few minutes to digest all of it.  I was not expecting to wake up this morning and have Hershey die ... we didn't even get to really say good-bye.

Guillermo & I decide that the right decision to do if the surgeon can't remove it all would be to not wake her up.  The doctor said the surgeon would do his best and would continue working, but we should be prepared.  So after the phone call, I look at the time and I have to go get Sara from her class.

Well, more waiting ... We hear back from the vet about 15 mintues later.  Praise the Lord!!!!  Good news, the surgeon was able to remove the entire tumor without injuring an artery or something else.  The bleeding has stopped and everything is being cleaned up and sewn up.  She will be monitored and allowed to slowly wake up.  They will watch her and give her meds overnight.  We will wait and find out in the morning how's she is doing.  The doctor called back about 7pm tonight to say that he was leaving for the evening and he will call back in the morning with an update.  She was doing good though, her red blood cell counts were remaining the same, so that's good news.

I know this is long, and if your still reading this, wow, thank you!  I've just got one more thought that I need to discuss and then I'll be all done, I promise.

So last night I was reading a book called "Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl" by Lysa Terkeurst.  I'm doing a Bible Study with this book and the participant guide.  It's a really good book and last night I was reading the chapters about "in my struggles".  One of the chapters is called "When my ugly comes out".  We've all had those days, weeks, months, etc., where it feels like it's just one thing after another and we start to turn ugly. 

She says in the book "When my ugly comes out, I am so often tempted to think that God leaves me.  I wouldn't blame Him.  Who wouldn't want to get away from someone with an ungrateful hear and a stinky attitude?"  She goes on to say that "God is too full of grace to walk away.  Grace doesn't give me a free pass to act out how I feel, with no regard to His commands.  Rather His grace gives me consolation in the moment, with a challenge to learn from this situation and become more mature in the future.  Grace is the sugar that helps the bitter pills of confession and repentance go down without choking.  Grace is the reason I can go to God quickly, immediately - before I'm cleaned up - and boldly ask for His help.  In the midst of my mess, God is there."

The sermon on Sunday talked about having a generous soul and what did that look like.  The sermon took a long hard look at materialism.  I learned about focusing on the needs of others.  I learned that "it's not my stuff - Lord, it's yours ... you made it, it all belongs to you and it's going back to you."  I learned that I need to practice gratitude.

Lysa's book reinforced to me that I need to remember to Praise God in my circumstances, Praise Him despite my circumstances.  She says "Praise is the key that releases God's character back into even the ugliest of attitudes and darkest of situations.  Praise pulls back the dark curtains and breathes fresh life into a weak and weary soul."

She talked about recognizing why "my ugly comes out."  To look at my life and see what I might be doing/not doing that can create an ugliness.  There were 5 things she suggested:

1) am I overly tired?
2) am I overcommitted?
3) have I compromised some of my healthy boundaries lately?
4) is there sin in my life I'm avoiding?
5) do I have things on my calendar to look forward to?

Hmm, #5 is a really interesting question.  I'm sure tiredness and annoyance with my kids, life, etc. is what usually brings out my ugly and bad attitude.  I never thought about not having anything to look forward to can create in me ugliness too.  In thinking about this, I'm sure it's true in my life and getting caught in just doing what I need to do and having a bad attitude about having to do so much without having something to look forward to can keep me in my bad attitude and ugliness.

I've been so focused for so long on the needs of my family (kids, husband, job, etc.) that I've truly forgotten to do things that are enjoyable just for me.  Sure, I find the time to read a book every now and then (and yes, I do feel sometimes that I should be doing something else instead of reading a book).  I do truthfully, go to Bible Study for my own enrichment and growth, it is something that I do make a point to do for myself.  I also listen to various sermons online strickly for growth.  But what do I do that strickly just for fun, just because I "want to"?

I started thinking about Thanksgiving coming up and November starting next week.  I started thinking about doing the thankfulness cards again for the kids.  I remembered last year how I wanted to make a quilt to put the cards in, but never did.  This thinking sparked in me the desire to make that quilt.  It created a joy and desire to put it together.  To go through my fabric piles and dust off my sewing machine.

The next chapter in Lysa's book is "How Jesus helps me get my groove back".  One of the key points is that "thankfulness breeds thankfulness.  The more we practice it, the more we'll live thankgiving out loud.  And the more we live it out loud, the more thanksgiving will become the natural grove of our hearts."

So while it has been a crazy and day, I'm thankful that God provides, He Cares, He Loves Me.  I'm thankful that He cares about Hershey and that the tumor was able to be fully removed.  I'm thankful that Has given me time to reflect on my day and shown me areas of growth opportunities and ways to get out of my habit of ugliness and bad attitudes.

I'm thankful that God never stops teaching me how to live more & more like Jesus.  I pray that He will work in my heart to get the uglies out and to praise & thank Him often.  I'm looking forward to working on my Thanksgiving quilt.  I'm looking forward to focusing all of November on Thankfulness.  30 days of Praise & Thanksgiving!  I can't wait!!

Thank you for reading my random blog ... it's been quite a day, that's for sure!!  Let me know your thoughts ... I enjoy reading your comments!

Ears ...

Growing up, I went to Christian Schools K-12.  It was what was important to my parents and it eventually became important to me too.  In 4th Grade my Dad became a teacher and continued teaching 1 more year after I graduated from High School.  It was a sacrifice of love for all his kids.  While it didn't feel like it at the time, looking back, I can see my parents love in the choices that they made for their kids.  And, I'm doing the same for my kids.

So one of the memories I have of my dad when we were in school was a sermon he did in chapel.  All the men teachers had to take turns preaching during chapel at Heritage Baptist Academy in Antioch, CA.  He preached on Mark 4:9 "And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."  We used the King James Version back then, and it stuck in my mind, so that's why I used it here.

I remember that he had a prop for the sermon, he used a telephone.  I remember him saying often during the sermon, sometimes loudly to demonstrate how our ears hear (I think) ... He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  I don't know why this suck in my head or made such an impression on me.  I was either in 7th or 8th grade at the time, but that's one of my memories of my dad.  I know he used the sermon again in a different school, but the 1st time he preached that verse, it made an impression.

So I said all that because right now, I can't hear in one of my ears, my left ear to be exact.  It reminded me of the verse that I learned so long ago.  It talks about hearing, which is not something I'm currently doing well.  I did a quick Bible search online (via BibleGateway.com) and see that the Bible mentions the the following words:

ears is found in 81 verses
hear is found in 358 verses
hears is found in 53 verses
hearing is found in 55 verses
heard is found in 559 verses
listen is found in 332 verses

Interesting huh?  It's an important topic ... many of God's people say they "heard" from the Lord and God says to the Israelites that He "heard them".  Proverbs is full of verses that say "listen to me".  Many verses in Psalms are crying out to God to "hear" them. 

It shows me how important it is that we hear and listen to God (and others).  I am especially aware hearing right now and the limitations you have on life without both ears working properly.

Here's what I've noticed:

- Driving is dangerous with only 1 ear working, you can't hear traffic coming the other direction.

- Singing at church is interesting because you mainly hear yourself (I think that's how someone came up with the term singing in their head - they must have been lacking in working ears at the time) ... can't quite tell if your on key with everyone else (although you hope you are :-) ... you can hear the musicians, but once you start singing your head voice competes with the others.

- Every day "white/background" noises become so much louder.  You hear everything, nothing is filtered out.  The white noises are truly as loud as people talking to you and it's difficult to focus on the people talking vs. the annoying white noises (like wind, music, ice machines/soda machines, coolers, fans, computers, etc.).

- You feel like only half of your head is working and you can't quite tell which direction things are coming from.

- It's "work" to listen to others ... you really have to concentrate on paying attention when others are talking.

- Sleeping, when you finally get some after the terrible pain, is fantastic because I can't hear the hubby snore ... of course, if there was a fire or the kids were screaming, if I was sleeping with my good ear on the pillow, I wouldn't hear it, so that's not so good.

- Talking to people in crowded places is difficult, I've had to have Guillermo help me because I can't figure out what people are saying - ugh!

- It's kind of nice telling the kids that I can't hear them - LOL, of course, it is true, most of the time they are talking to me around walls, which is fine when both ears worked, not so good with only one.

- Taking a shower is interesting because you really, really hear the water hitting your head and it's loud in your head ... so weird!

- I think the most significant thing I've experienced is that how much we really need both ears for hearing things properly.  With just one working ear, your not able to filter out the background noises.  Everything that comes into your ears are truly at the same volume ... you do hear everything all at once ... it's an onslaught of loud noises - Crazy!

Well, that's the story of my ears ... I sure do miss hearing and I'm praying that I can hear with both ears soon!  Right now, I'm just so thankful that the pain has diminished and I can function without needing 4 Advil's every 6 hours!  Praise the Lord for small victories!!

Oh The Places I've Lived ...

I was born in Oakland and we lived on Lincoln Avenue in Oakland until I was 3 years old.  My parents then moved us into a rental home in San Leandro on Dewey Street in San Leandro.  Then in November of 1977 my parents bought their 1st home on Farnsworth Street.

We lived on Farnsworth Street until I August before I started 7th grade..  Then we moved to Antioch, CA and lived on Ashley Street.  My parents then moved us to Longmont, CO on Peterson Place, where we stayed for my 9th, 10th and 11th grade.  Then my parents moved us back to California and right back to their very 1st home on Farnsworth Street (they rented it out when we moved to Antioch) for my 12th grade.

After graduating High School (in 1991), I moved to Pensacola, FL and went to Pensacola Christian College for 1 year.  Then I moved back home to Farnsworth Street.  I started working and eventually moved into my very 1st place an apartment on Blossom Way in Hayward, that was in 1993 (I think). 

Then I moved to a rental home in San Leandro in 1995 because we (Guillermo & I) got our 1st dog, Magic.  His parents couldn't keep the dog at their home (which is where Guillermo was living), so I moved, so we wouldn't have to give her away.  The home was an illegal garage conversion (which I knew when I moved) and the front house tenant got mad at the landlord and called the city on the illegal conversion.  I was forced to move out due to code violations & permit issues and was given a 30 day notice to move.  Ugh! 

I called & called a lot of places to locate a rental property that was affordable and would take a dog & cat.  I finally found a unit that was available in a duplex in San Leandro in the beginning of 1996.

Our 1st Home

Guillermo & I got married in July of 1996 and he moved from his parents out into the duplex unit with me in San Leandro. 

We lived there until God provided us an opportunity to buy our 1st home in Castro Valley.  We bought that home on September 24, 1998.  God was so good to us ... he provide all our closing costs to get into the home.  In 1998, they were just coming out with 80/20 mortgages and we were able to qualify and buy our 1st home.

God provided for us again and on December 28, 2001 we sold our 1st home in Castro Valley and bought to our current home in Dublin, CA.  We've been living here ever since.

People always ask me where I grew up and as you can see, it's difficult to explain.  I usually tell them I grew up in California, except for the 3 years I was in Colorado.  I guess somehow, someway or another, I've picked up a slight accent and it throws people off.  I don't hear the accent, but hey, I don't listen to myself speaking, so hmm, not sure ... you'll have to let me know if you think I have one or not ... please post your comments/thoughts ...

Exactly who is Katricia Niccole Navarrete?

Who am I? 
That's a good starting place for a blog don't you think?  Let's start at the very beginning ...

I was born on June 13th at Kaiser Permanete in Oakland, CA on a Wednesday afternoon.  I was the 2nd child born to Richard W. Walker and Sonja L. Walker.  I have an older sister named Lorie and a younger sister named Shannon.  My older sister, Lorie, and I are 2 1/2 years apart.  My younger sister, Shannon, and I are a little over 3 years apart.

While I don't believe in astrology or place much value on it, I do find it interesting and some of it does apply to the personality that I've been giving by God.  I know that who I am was specifically made and designed by God and not at all random.  But because I find it interesting I thought I'd share this info about being born under the sign of Gemini with you.

The people who were born in this period are widely known for their dual personalities and ability to change mood from moment to moment. Although they hate to be tied down, they make lively, entertaining and romantic partners, even if they can be rather fickle if bored or unhappy.

The twin sides of their nature are perpetually pulling in opposite directions. Their brains are subtle and brilliant but they usually "lack continuity of purpose".

Of all people they are the most difficult to understand; in temperament they are hot and cold almost at the same moment. They love with one side of their nature and they are often critical or dislike with the other people. Their sharp wit and excellent powers of observation make them a good raconteur, although they have a tendency to exaggerate which can cause trouble with their relationships.

Such people are usually excellent in diplomacy, and dazzle their listeners by, their wit and brilliancy, but they usually leave them no wiser than they were at the start.

It is difficult even for them to understand what they want to achieve. At heart they are ambitious for social position; but when obtained they have already tired of it, and are ready to go in for something else or for something totally opposite. Being natural communicators these people do not suffer fools gladly; so once they are attracted to people, they have to ensure that they are not dull or mundane. They will no doubt spending ages chatting to anyone about every subject under the sun, just to keep feeding their ever active and inquisitive mind.

If taken as they are, in their own moods, they are the most delightful people imaginable, but one must not attempt to hold them or to expect them to be constant to their ideas or plans.

They believe they are truthful, constant, faithful, and so they may be at the moment, but every moment to them has a separate existence.

They make hosts of friends and are kind-hearted and generous to the person who fills their thoughts at the moment, but "out of sight, out of mind" explains their fits of "forgetfulness" as nothing else can.

In all matters of affection they are human puzzles. They can love passionately and yet be inconstant at the same moment, and it is only their shield of diplomacy and exquisite tact that keeps them from often making a mess of their lives.

My husband, Guillermo, likes the Chinese Zodiac signs.  They are interesting, and in the interest of sharing, I was born in the year of the Ox.  So I thought I'd share a little about this with you too.

The Ox or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. A person born during this year will be dependable, calm and methodical. A patient and tireless worker, he sticks to routine and conventions. Although he is generally fair-minded and a good listener, it is difficult to make him change his views as he is stubborn and often has strong prejudices.

Still, because of his steady and trustworthy character, the Ox person will be entrusted with positions of authority and responsibility. He will not fall short where duty calls. As a matter of fact, he should be careful not to get carried away. Beneath his somewhat modest but neat appearance, the Ox shields a resolute and logical mind. His intelligence and dexterity is hidden by the reticent and undemonstrative front. But in spite of being basically an introvert, his forceful nature can turn him into a commanding and eloquent speaker when the occasion arises. In times of turmoil, his presence of mind, refusal to be intimidated and innate self-confidence will restore order. He walks with his head held high.

A person born under this particular sign is systematic. He adheres to fixed patterns and has great respect for tradition. In fact, he tends to do exactly what is expected of him and is so predictable, that he may be unfairly criticized for a lack of imagination. But the dutiful Ox knows that only through doing things in their proper order can he hope to achieve lasting success. His is the uncluttered mind. You won't find him muddling through life depending on his luck to pull him through. What people born under the other signs may accomplish by guile and wit, the Ox-born will by sheer tenacity and dedication. You can rely on his promises; once he gives his word, he will stick by it. Public opinion means little to him. He will apply himself wholeheartedly to whatever task he is doing and finish the job. He detests loose ends.

Although, I must admit that most the Ox stuff sounds like Guillermo and not like me.  We were both born in the same year (no I'm not telling you which year, cuz then you'd know how ancient old I am - LOL).  The Ox definition goes on & on, so I thought I'd stop it there and not bore you with the rest.

Why did my parents name me Katricia Niccole?  Here's the story about my name ... my Dad liked the name Katrina and my Mom liked the name Tricia.  So in the spirit of compromise, they named me Katricia.  My Dad got the name Katrina from the Winter Olympics and my Mom got the name Tricia from President Nixon's oldest daughter, Tricia Nixon.  My Mom said that Tricia Nixon was very pretty and just liked her name Tricia.  What about Niccole?  Why is it spelt with two C's?  Well my Mom said they just liked Niccole and how it sounded with my 1st name.  My Dad was the one who wanted it spelt with two C's.

What does the name Katricia mean?  It means "Noble Woman" or "Of Noble Descent".  What does Niccole mean?  It means "Victory of the People" or "Victorious People".

And, since I'm checking out names ... What does the name Navarrete mean?  It's not my maiden name, but it now plays a vital role in my family history.  Guillermo's parents came from El Salvador, so it's interesting to here about where the name originated from originally.

Origin Displayed: Spanish

The Navarrete name is habitational surname from any of the places in La Rioja, Aragon and Basque Country named Navarrete.  The place names come from the Basque word "nava" or "naba," which means "plain near the mountains."

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Alonso Navarrete, who came to America in 1516; Luis Navarrete, who arrived in Venezuela sometime between 1525 and 1537; Pedro Navarrete, who arrived in Guatemala in 1584.

Well, that's the very beginning of my life ... I'll continue to answer the question, Who Am I in other blogs.  I'm looking forward to sharing about my life with you and I hope you enjoy reading it.