One more MONTH down!!!!

Today is our LID anniversary. Our dossier has been in China for 14 months today, and right now the wait is 18-19 months. Please pray along with us that the wait will not get any longer before it is our time. We can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now!!!

Here's my Godson!!!!

Finally !!! Here is my godson Jacob Edison Cruz. He is 17 months old and quite a little Tiger!!! He is busy, busy, busy and driving his mommy crazy!!!! Hahahaha!! He does have a big sister and her name is Alex, but I can't get a good picture of her to put on here that shows how beautiful she is, so we will find one soon.

WEDDING NEWS!!

I just wanted to let all of you know that Christopher and Amy's wedding date is August 25, 2007!!! Yes Amy has been a little bit busy I would say. She got her dress last Saturday and this Saturday her mom and I along with Amy are going to order the CAKE!!! Amy has done a great job planning the whole wedding in just a short amount of time. If your wondering why so fast it is because Steven is going to be home that weekend and they wanted him to be able to be there.

From what we were told Steven and Megan are getting married friday August 24th at the courthouse and then when he gets home they will have a big ceremony!!! How exciting the boys anniversary's will be a day apart!!!!!

Also last weekend Chelsey , Lisa and Haley ran into them at the Bridal shop and Chelsey found her dress also. It is hanging in Franceskas room right now!! And their date is November 17, 2007!!! Everyone is busy busy busy!!!!

When love takes you in.

When I heard this song for the first time, it really took me by surprise.The feelings it brought out in me!! I welled up and started to cry. The song is about children being adopted and brought to their new homes and being taken in by love, but when I listened to it I immediately started thinking about my kids. God chose me to be their mother and I was truly taken in by their LOVE. God is awesome and he does have a plan and I am so thankful for the plan he had for me and I look forward to the rest of it. With God all things are possible. Just look at me for example there was a time I never thought I would have kids and now I will have 7!! with Franceska, one grandson and three really great daughter-in-laws. So yes with God all things are possible!!!

Stevens Peace Globe

My friend Christie put this Peace globe together for me to put on our blog.. All of us just love it and when I got it our son Christopher, Astrud and Stevens fiance Megan were here at home so we all got to look at it together. Thank you Christie you are a super person and friend.

Astrud and her first nephew!!

This is Astrud with her very first nephew!!! Christophers fiance Amy has a son and his name is Joshua, so that makes him our first "GRANDSON"!!!!! We love him very much and him and Rayn are only two weeks apart in age so we really look forward to seeing them grow up together and maybe one day showing Franceska the "ropes"!

Chelsey and Anthony

I wanted to share with all of you that my neice Chelsey and her boyfriend Anthony are ENGAGED!!!!! What is going on around here!! All of our kids are getting married. Chelsey and Steven grew up together and they got engaged a week and a half apart!!! Chelsey will make a beautiful bride along with Amy and Megan!

Thank you so much Christie and Eddie!!!

You know sometimes God puts people in our paths that are there to change our lives and that is exactly what he did when he put Eddie and Christie Daniels into our life. These people are amazingly loving, spiritual , caring and supportive friends of ours now and we have never even met in person yet!!! They are participating in a Blogblast for Peace and their Peace Globe is dedicated and in honor of STEVEN!! Can you believe that!!! These are incredible people and I can't wait to spend time with them for REAL!!!!

Please go see their blog and look at what they did for STEVEN!!!

www.danielschinajourney.blogspot.com

A Special Soldier's Ceremony

On Saturday the 2nd there was a farewell ceremony in New Braunfels Texas for the Alpha Battery 4/133rd. Those things are always hard and emotional. You get that lump in your throat, knot in your stomach, so proud you think your gonna explode with emotion feeling!!! There are always pep talks and ongoing PATRIOTISM!!!!! And when one of the people they are talking about is your son it is pretty darn overwhelming. Here are some pictures of the day. I hope you enjoy them and as always we ask for your prayers for Steven and the rest of his unit as well as all of the soldiers and their families. We are so proud of him our chests could just explode!!!!

Opening Aunt Amy , Rick and the kids present. Thank you Amy , he loved it!!

Aunt Kim and Aunt Kerry

Chas and Steven

Aunt Mona and Aunt Lisa

Aunt Olga, Jared and Melanie

Steven and Megan (engaged now!!!)

Nonny and Poppy

Bubbas little Rayn with camo/pink hat and all!!
This is Segarra and Steven with the oldest living veteran in New Braunfels, Tx.

Bubba with all the kids and their posters!!!

Astrud and Haley
Steven and Mom

The Grohman Family

Garrett with his sister Brittany and mom Linda

That is us with "OUR BOYS"

Garrett with his mom, sister and grandparents

Garrett Grohman is in Stevens unit and is also from La Vernia. I have known his family for quite some time but did not have a real family like connection until now. We prayed as a family with our boys at church the sunday before they left and now his mom Linda and I have very quickly became special friends. Please as you pray for Stevens safety include Garrett he is a great kid and has a great family. All of us thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers.

God love'em , Kids say the cutest things!

Today out in the backyard, Astrud was playing with Rayn. And as you all know my neices call me "MEME". Rayn was playing with her toy shovel and throwing dirt everywhere and when Astrud asked her what she was doing, she replied "DIGGIN CHINA", so Astrud said what??? And that is when Rayn said, "Diggin China, Meme's baby"!!! And when I walked outside she told me that she saw people!!!! Isn't that just priceless, so I just had to go take a picture or two and post this.

Bubba's Gift to Franceska

Today we went to Megan's sister Gretchen and her husband Johnny's house for a bar-b-que for Steven. And when we left Bubba came out to give me his contribution for Franceskas quilt. He handed me a uniform jacket from his first deployment to Iraq. This is a very emotional week since Steven is leaving and when he gave me this and I read it, it was pretty overwhelming.

It read:

To my baby sister

For my addition to your quilt I chose to give you a piece

of my uniform from the first time I participated in

Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The reason for this is so you will always remember the

sacrifices our family has made for freedom and the

American way of life. Never forget that this is an

incredible gift that you have received and you are

an incredible gift that we have received. And now I

close with some words of wisdom:

Honor thy father and mother

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long

as it is the home of the brave. --Elmer Davis

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their

dreams.-- Eleanor Roosevelt

The order of precedence in our family is God, Family, and Country

never one more than the other and never one without the other. Steven Rodriguez

--BUBBA

We love you so very very much Steven and you make us so proud. Words could never express these two things. Just always know that you are the love of our lives. And may God bless you always. ----Mom and Papa

Introducing Craig and Tracy!!!

This is Craig and Tracy, they are a blessing. This is the first time Tracy has been to our home and it feels like we have never been without her, she is just beautiful.

Our New Family Pictures!!!!!!!

Since Craig was in town, I took the opportunity to take a new family picture, so we all went to the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. A very special person by the name of Kris came and took our pictures and she did a great job , I just can't tell her how much she is appreciated. There were 83 photographs to choose from and I picked out my favorite two family pics. And then we took a "Friends" picture by the water fountain. Frank and I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful family. I never thought I would be so blessed. Just look at all those handsome men we girls are surrounded by!!!!!!

Our kids are engaged!!!!

Christopher and Amy
Steven and Megan

This was a great weekend, our son Craig and his precious girlfriend Tracy were here from Lubbock, and we were all together on Saturday and then we all went to church together on Sunday. We prayed as a family up at the altar with Brother Dave for Stevens safety. Here are pictures of Steven and Megan right after he announced that he had proposed to her on friday night. And on Easter sunday Christopher proposed to Amy. I have not announced it until now because I did not have a really good picture of them. Well now I do and here they are. We are very blessed to have theses girls in our family. God bless them and their marriages.

A nice surprise!!!

Yesterday morning the dogs started barking and when I looked out it was my friend , Rachelle walking up the sidewalk with a file in her hand. When I opened the door she handed it to me and it was my square from her, Troy and the boys for Franceska's quilt. It is just beautiful, I love ,love, love, it!!! And what she wrote on there could not have been more perfect or more touching and special.

It say's:

Franceska

you are your daddy and mommies

final "PEACE" to

eternal love.

We love ya'll,

Troy, Rachelle,Colby.Ashton & Jayden (Happy Birthday today Ashton and we pray that you have an awesome day and may God bless you always!!!)

I HOPE THIS MIGHT ACT AS A REMINDER TO MY "FRIENDS" WHO HAVE NOT YET GIVEN ME THEIR SQUARES, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!!!!

Our weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas

This past weekend Astrud had a tournament in Corpus and on Sunday we went to the beach !! Here are some pictures of Kerry and I with the girls, Frank and I with Astrud, Frank and Rayn walking on the beach, and Rayn playing in the sand. The picture of Jade and I was taken after we were cracking up laughing at each other, and my "Good Looking Man" walking up to me, isn't he a cutie!!!!! Oh and another thing my hair is not that big, the wind was blowing against our backs!!!!!