Seven. But As Long As I'm Living My Baby You'll Be...

Words can't describe any parents love for their children. It's really a reflection, in a small percentage, of the love our Heavenly Father has for his children. As I reflect on this little man's seven years and ponder his future, I can't help feeling happy, sad, excited, small, big, and ever other feeling...

Why happy? Because Rock has changed my life! He's made me want to be a better mom, wife, and most importantly follower of Christ.

Why sad? Because I can't slow down time. He's maturing and growing so quickly (as all kids do!) and I  sometimes want to freeze time.

Why excited? Because I can't wait to see what he'll become! I read John Piper say that we Christians should have children that will be good world changers for God's kingdom. That always encourages me as a parent of four and why it's beneficial to society--because we want to impact the world in a great way, and Rock is a great kid, that Lord willing, can be used to change the world!

Why small? Because I know I am sinful and have sinned against him and his siblings and by God's grace, majority of the time, I ask for forgiveness for failing God and failing him. Without God's kindness on me and him, I would not be a mom that fears God. That's beneficial to everyone because that means mommy and abba answer to someone, we don't, and can't, act like we have full authority (as if we can't ever be wrong) but we must remember we are sinners that can mess up and sin against our own children. Also, I feel small because Rock is not ultimately mine. I don't own him. God can take Rock any moment and sometimes that sobers me. He was loaned to PJ and myself for bringing him up in the admonition of the Lord...What an honor!

Why big? Because PJ and I am molding him to be a man of integrity. Not a small task. We have a big part to play in Rock's life and we can help mold him to be a world changer!

Our friend Heather gave Rock a book called "I Love You Forever" and I cried when I read it to him! (I think I cried a handful of times!). The mother in the book, sings a cute little song to her son...

I love you forever

I like you for always

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be.

Life As Of Now

is pretty much about taking care and getting use to our new baby girl City and how to manage a newborn with 3 kids. Life is starting to get a little (just a tiny bit) more livable.  I had a case of the "Baby Blues" while having difficulty breast-feeding. This is our fourth child I've breast-fed and I still had so much trouble breast-feeding. Story was the worse though. It's finally getting better! I even felt mad at God for not answering my prayers, but hello, he did!

The kids LOVE City! All they want to do is kiss her. A lot. I have to remind them to just kiss her head and feet-- Oh, and elbows. They are all stepping up their game and being helpful. Rock seems so mature as he interacts with City. Key loves and comments about how "cute" City's face is. Story kisses her elbows.

Rock's birthday was the 11th and thankfully we were able to celebrate and make him feel special. He got a new bike from us and another gift from the girls. They were so excited to give it to him. I finally came out of my cave (our room) to take Rock to dinner. It's so weird putting on street clothes! I forgot the weird postpartum body feeling. Old clothes not fitting and maternity clothes not fitting either. I'm somewhere in between. Arghhh! It'll take time. But in the mean time, what do I wear?!

PJ's been making me yummy breakfast! This is a BIG deal since he doesn't know how to cook (or has he been tricking me?). It's really not a big deal but it's helpful nonetheless! Plus I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! He is really being helpful. I need to work on not feeling unnecessarily guilty when I feel it's too much for him. That's part of my sinful nature of being a control freak :( He's great : )

I thank God SO much for CrossView, family and close friends. A few members of our church have randomly taken our kids out to have fun : ) One of my fears was that the kids would just be cooped up and feeling neglected because of City but we're so thankful church family came to the rescue and took our kids to Hollywood and Vine (like they were tourists!), Rain Forest Cafe, and helped watch them while we were in the hospital. Extremely helpful. It gave us a break and it gave them a treat!

City Danika Tibayan

Introducing City Danika Tibayan

City Danika Tibayan

Born: April 1, 2013 at 12:54pm

7lbs 13.6oz and 20 inches long

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given Tibayan 4 a new daughter! All glory and praise to him!

The story behind her name. "Danika" is her middle name because our beloved niece was named Danika and we love and miss her so much! City never had the opportunity to meet and be blessed by her older cousin the way her 3 siblings have, but she will be connected to her in a way that she will never forget her. Her cousin also reminds us that life is a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes. Where does "City" come from? The city is the place marked by density, diversity, and interdependence (resources on thinking about the concept of the city from a Christian perspective). They are places in our world much more intensely filled with a mixture of good and evil. While many Christians are fleeing the city and avoiding it, God has called Tibayan 4 (our family) to the city of Los Angeles for this time to make disciples together with CrossView Church LA. We look forward to the city whose architect and builder is God, the New Jerusalem.

Ways you can pray for her. Please pray to the Father of our Lord, Savior, and Treasure, Jesus the Messiah who died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Ask the Father to bless City, protect her, make his face shine on her, be gracious to her, look on her with favor and give her peace. This means praying that she repents from her sin and trusts in Jesus Christ to save her. Pray for her parents to gospelize her well and love her sacrificially. Ask God to protect her from Satan, the evil one, and to not bring her into temptation. Please ask the Father's name to be honored as holy in her, that his kingdom would come in part through her, and that his will would be done by her. Pray for her to know, believe, love, and live in light of the gospel. Pray for her physical health and development, and that we would see God's glory through her and reflect God's glory to her as a family. Pray that the City of Los Angeles would be blessed through City Danika Tibayan to the glory of the Triune God.

Smile Moment

I'm 40 weeks today and no baby. This baby seems to be very comfortable :) We're excited to meet this little boy OR girl! It's pretty exciting not knowing the gender-- adds more spice to our spicy life!

This Sunday is Easter Sunday!!! I hope we see the true meaning of this celebration and not the fluffy rabbit stuff :)

If I don't rush to the hospital, I'll be spending time with my older sister Brenda and the entire family. I love hanging out in her ginormous backyard! The kids love exploring and digging up stuff. She might even get a horse! Imagine that! My city kids would get a taste of the country hahaha!

Jordyn Leah Virgil, Coming Soon!

My little sister will soon have an adorable baby girl in her arms! I'm so excited to meet this little sassy baby girl :) I remember meeting Jennifer, my little sister, for the first time at our Grandma's house when our mother came home from the hospital and I was so excited that I cried out of joy! I was only 7 years old but felt so much love toward this little girl. I can't imagine how I'll react holding her daughter in my arms! Gosh, I'm tearing up even now! I'm SO happy for my sister and my brother...Congrats again Virgil's! We love all three of you SO much :)

Shake

This whole pregnancy I've been wanting shakes! 

My go to shake: Almond milk, milk, blue berries, banana, spinach, flaxseed, cinnamon, and Aria Women's Protein  (from Trader Joe's). 

Smile Moment

These girls are silly, feisty, dramatic, fun, kissable, huggable, lovable, bff's, and everything under the sun (no pun intended).

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

The Pastor Wife's Role

Being a pastor's wife is perhaps, not what people think and what people think...

I love being a help mate to my Lovely as he serves and loves our church family. I often hear, read or see things that remind me that the "Pastor Wife's" role can at times be unclear or misunderstood. If the pastor/overseer/elder (the Bible uses these interchangeably) role is unclear or misunderstood to some, then I'm sure the pastor wife's role is too!

I had a few misconceptions myself-- before I became a wife to a pastor/elder.

On one level, a wife of an elder/overseer is like other wives. The expectations are from God, just like any other Christian wife. The biblical expectations for the Christian wife are already difficult to do because of indwelling sin. There are no extra expectations on the pastor's wife, just what she is meant to do that honors and shows Christ to her family, friends, and world.  A pastor's wife is to make her priority the home over other people, things or jobs-- so it is with any other wife. A pastor wife is to love the local church body-- so it is with any other wife. A pastor's wife is to seek her spiritual gifts and use them accordingly--so it is with any other wife. You get the point. 

Now, on another level, being a wife to a pastor is unique, but so is every wife's role. Why? Because you are the wife to an individual who is unique as you are unique. So the whole situation is unique!

What I mean is... the pastor has a key responsibility to grow the sheep. If the sheep are unhealthy, he has a special responsibility to speak into their souls with God's word--he will give an account to the way he has taken care of the sheep that are entrusted to him. All husbands are also responsible for others, especially his wife and children. All Christian husbands are even responsible for other church members. But in a more strict way the pastor has to give an account before God (Hebrews 13:17). Because the pastor has a special obligation to God, their life and ministry will become more intense. 

I love the way Jonathan Leeman expresses it...

Pressures will increase to fight pride, forgive quickly, ignore criticism, love generously, sacrifice time together, and so forth. For her and for me both, the stakes of the Christian life will become higher, and so it will become that much more practically important that we are both abiding in the gospel. You might say that being a pastor or elder's wife doesn't add any new knobs to the stereo, it just turns up the volume. But don't misunderstand: the music is good! 

"Battleship Sunk!"

Visiting this battleship for last years vacation was a treat. We were all intrigued with what an up close and personal battleship looked like. It reminded me of the board game Battleship, in which your opponent needs to sink your battleships, and if one is hit, you'd respond "battleship sunk!" --At least that's the way the commercials portrayed it.  

Moon Jelly

I realized I never posted pictures of our last family vacation. Last year we played with the idea of going to San Francisco, but we decided not to--It was nice staying home and galavanting around here. One draw back was planning. Since we weren't out of town and unfamiliar with the area, there wasn't any pressure to have an agenda...I'd get lazy : /

On our beach trips, we enjoyed the sun, the sand, and especially the kids loving everything about the sea! On one occasion, we stumbled upon moon jellies on shore! Lots of them! We decided to take one home, dissect it and make it a homeschool lesson on science. We printed diagrams, read a book on it, and watched videos. The kids enjoyed it and it was nice for this little guy, to just...fall on our sandy lap :)

Smile Moment

I like...

Spring time colors

{Things appreciated not coveted}

1. Margot Bag /  2. Slingback flats /  3. Striped Swimsuit   

4. T-shirt /  5. Sunshine and Lace /  6. Glossy Round

35 Weeks...

I always forget how many weeks I am. And when I need to remember, who do I ask? My sister, who just nods her head in disappointment because I don't know :) Sorry, but I just forget! May this not be any indicator of how I am as a parent...

Excited and nervous for our new baby. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed just thinking of what it's going to be like. Rock's home schooled and so is Key-- but she'll be starting Kinder this coming school year-- and it makes me a tiny bit nervous thinking of both Rock and Key beginning school while I have a baby at home! I know God will sustain us, but it's still a little nerve-racking!

My energy is low and I'm definitely feeling like I have to slow down in my movements because this baby makes me ache and feel uncomfortable all over the place!

Funny baby sleep positions

Story's doctor shushed her to calm her, see why...

This stroller caught my eye. (Not that I need one)

Pretty funny birth position video! NickMom is funny!

Did anyone watch this movie?! I saw a preview to it and totally forgot about it : / It's now on my mental renting list...we'll see how that goes.

V-Day and Updates...

We usually stay home and celebrate altogether, but this time we hung out with the kids, bought some yummy Sprinkles (at a much closer Sprinkles-- at the Grove!) then PJ and I headed to Umami for a hot date night, while our good friend Danny watched our kiddos. It was a much needed date night and burger.

Our lives now...

Story is potty training! 1 pooh accident, 3 pee accidents. When we go out she wears pull ups and she does a pretty good job. A great way to save money since we'll be consuming tons of diapers when baby #4 comes!

Doctor appointment today: Dr. is concerned because she says I don't have enough amniotic fluid. I'll have to be monitored twice a week and see her every week as well. This is definitely different from my previous pregnancies. With Story, she told me I had double the amnotic fluid (Olympic size pool!). If y'all remember, please keep baby#4 in prayer.

Grama is still in the hospital. She is very fragile. We were with her last night and she looked very weak. It'll be one month tomorrow that she's been in the hospital. Please continue to pray.

It'll be 3months since Danika's passing and everyone is still remembering her and missing her like crazy. My brother and sister are so strong in the Lord. I know they have their super tough days, but even then, they still grieve with hope. Videos of her we continue to watch. I personally had a tough week. Please continue to pray for the family, especially my sister Nina, brother Dennis and nephew Niko.

Yek and Reese will be coming to LA soon! Please pray for there safety getting here from Minneapolis

CrossView is a blessing!

Ruby's book is almost done! Crafting with kids looks and sounds so fun! Let's lift her, and the family up in prayer as she finishes and uses it to point to Christ.

Still no name for baby #4-- PJ is sold on Sword, I'm sold on Canon (for boy names). If it's a girl, we think we know but not completely sure. John Park is determine to find us a name we'll love, lol!

If all goes well, PJ will be a workshop speaker at Legacy conference in Chicago! Lord willing, me and baby #4 can accompany him, but we'll see if we'll have a babysitter (or sitters) for the other kiddos : / Wanna come?!

Our friend Sarah from D.C. wrote a great blog post on her reflections when she was single. A good read :)

Griffith Park

...Just a lovely family day.

As a parent you can really allow precious moments with your children just pass you by with no real reflection or appreciation. Going back and posting these moments made me realize I need to appreciate more moments with these little gifts from God.