Welcome! Nuestra Casa Es Su Casa ...Our house is your house

A glimpse into the life of Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood and their 12 precious blessings. Thank you for visiting; we pray that what we share here may always bring glory to our wonderful God and Saviour. May you praise the Lord with us for the great things He has done and continues to do as we serve Him sharing the gospel here in the little town of Cuidad Insurgentes, BCS Mexico. He alone is good and faithful!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A month in the life


The month of March.  
So full.  Going by so fast!
Here is little glimpse into the last several days.

An evening gathering around the table to draw. 
Since we've been home from furlough, I have been concentrating on "catching up" with so much that I let some of the things we love most fall by the wayside.
Letter writing is one of them! People who so faithfully love, support and pray for our family.  Such an encouragement they are to us!  More than they could ever know!  But at least we can do our best to impart what's in our heart to them in a letter.
Oh, how I've missed it!  We love to make cards and draw pictures to go with each letter.  And for home schooling...handwriting practice, writing practice, English/Grammar, Spelling, Art.  Letter writing covers them all!









Another thing I have really missed is trying new recipes/being creative in the kitchen.  We made fun, colorful rainbow cupcakes for my Sunday School class, made the BEST homemade granola ever, baked our tried and true Daddy's favorite Oatmeal Cookies, and made loads of home made energy bars (similar to Power Bars) which my rapidly growing teen boys loved!  
Side note:  Why I try not to use the computer during the day- While typing a note to a friend, Samuel got into the energy bars.  That's the LAST thing he needs....more energy! :)

Cooking with my children- They learn more kitchen skills, time spent together, it is fun, it normally tastes wonderful and brings lots of smiles, often there is plenty to share with a neighbor or friend, and the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. :)  


We spent an afternoon making "springing" up our bulletin boards.  We used Foamy to cut out shapes to make flowers, kites, birds, butterflies etc...
Everyone loves craft time!

Oh, I just thought you might like to see how our water or electric bill gets delivered to our home.  We do have a PO box where we receive mail, but these bills are always hand delivered under a rock by your fence or tucked in your window sill or door.  

 This is how you know it's Monday.


 And this is how you can tell these children are related to their mother.  I love being barefoot.  Or in flip flops.  And I love the verse "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace."  Between the dust and varicose veins, it's nice to know I can have beautiful feet.

I just love those smiles!


My BABY turned 3 last week!  My sweet, strong willed, independent, adorable, miracle baby is becoming such a big boy!  He loves little cars and received several from different siblings.
 We wrap our gifts real fancy like...in kitchen towels. :)

 And daddy knows what all little boys need...a bike. :) Or trike if you are only 3.

Of course, school every week day.  












And working with Daddy.

 Everyone LOVES Daddy!  He's soooo strong :)
 And this baby of mine turned 14!  Such a young man!  
Timothy and Benjamin saved for weeks to order Elijah a special gift.  They waited for weeks for it to arrive and were about as excited about Elijah's birthday as he was!  It is more blessed to give than receive!  I love that they get to see that.
Timothy made the BEST treasure hunt for Elijah to "find" his gift.  He had little cards/clues hidden all over.  One led to another.  They all rhymed and what a hunt it was.  There was a clue taped to one of our rabbit's ears, he used the wireless keyboard to type out a clue on the computer while he was hidden out of sight.  He had codes to figure out, too.  Everyone ran around trying to figure everything out.  
 He finally got his gift!  A remote control plane that takes video/pictures.  They have had so much fun taking aerial shots of our house and town.   
 Josiah also saved up and ordered Elijah this book.  Sneak Uses for Everyday Things.  Great brother bonding time :)  Yesterday, they were making plastic from milk.  




 The past week, our bustling household became quiet and I traded in my cooking apron for a nursing hat.  All but 3 of the children got the flu...bad head aches, fever, horrible cough.  I can't remember the last time I missed a church service though, so I was thanking the Lord for much time of good health and while I don't like it at all when my children feel miserable, I took advantage of the extra holding/cuddling time, reading them books, and giving lots of sympathy.


 Don't you feel badly for him?  

 We had 3 more baptisms this month!  Jacquline is 16 years old.  Her sister, Brithany (age 10), started coming to church with us over 2 years ago.  While we were on furlough, Hna. Monica was able to lead Jacqueline to Christ.  We had the joy of seeing her follow the Lord in baptism last week!  I've been witnessing to her mom and she has come to church twice now.


Armando, age 14, has been coming to church with us since he was 8.  He'll tell you this himself...He was such a trouble maker!!  Oh, I remember when I had him in Sunday school.  He was, well, he helped me develop more patience! :)  He lives with his grandmother.  His entire family fell apart, and we praying, working and hoping the Lord would reach one of them.  Armando trusted the Lord with all his heart a couple months ago.  Through tears of joy, we heard him give his testimony and follow the Lord in baptism!
And Daniel, age 15, has been coming to church and hearing the gospel preached for about a year and a half.  He trusted Christ as His savior about 2 months ago.  May the Lord continue to build His kingdom here in Baja Sur!
 The past few days...recovering.  Still weak and tired and a few fevers, but over all better.
 Samuel's getting his smile back.  See the "friend" keeping him company?
 The view from my desk...papers to grade, letters to address, and my forever empty tape dispenser.  It takes me months to finally refill it, and then, the children seem to need tape for everything once it's there.

There's that Smile!!!

 Saw this note on the girl's door yesterday.  :)
 I got excited until I saw this one. :)
There is so much joy in serving Jesus right here in my home, along side my hubby in our church, right here in our little town.

Did anyone really make it to the end?   :)

52 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. :-) And I said a LITTLE update! :) I think I had more pictures than words this time. My hubby would be impressed :)

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  2. Yes Jaynee made it to the end - I LOVE reading your blog - it's such an encouragement to me!

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  3. I made it all the way through and loved it. Funny, I was thinking how you hadn't written in a while and here you are. We love the Draw, Write, Now series of books. They are so much fun. I hope everyone is better. I love the Spring board.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

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    1. Hi, Dawn! I love the Draw, Write, Now books too...Using them, I can actually draw something :) They get used almost daily around here. I found some other drawing books (planes, trains, cars, ect...) at a thrift store when we were on furlough, too. So fun!

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  4. I was so happy you had updated. Sorry to see everyone was sick. Glad you are all on the mend.

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  5. I did & it was great! Thanks for posting! :)

    The love & joy of your family shines through & through!

    Blessings!

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  6. What a wonderful post! HOW do you stay so organized??? Whew...I would be exhausted - and I only have 2! LOL! You really are a wonderful example of how to keep and manage a home. Thank you for giving us a peek into your life! Glad your little ones are feeling better too. God bless! :)

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    1. I think I have gotten more organized in time. Kind of had to...sink or swim...as our family grew. :) The book Managers of Their Homes by Steve and Teri Maxwell was a great blessing to me as I was right in the time of all littles and no big ones to help. I learned so much from them and I daily ask the Lord to direct my days, give me wisdom, and He is so faithful!
      Our house can look like an explosion took place most every day, but we have assigned chores and I have a couple times I clean up each day, so if I can keep the basics up, then the other cleaning/organizing can wait Fridays when I have more time :)

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  7. I made it to the end! I love reading your posts and seeing the good works you are doing with your church and most especially, with your children. I always leave your blog with a smile on my face...

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  8. I made it to the end and LOVED it!! I enjoy reading about your days and seeing the great pictures.
    What a blessed family you have.

    Kindly,
    Cathy

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  9. Thanks for all of the pictures and the update! My favorite part is seeing all of the wonderful smiles! What a happy and blessed family!

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  10. Yes! Made it to the end and enjoyed every bit of it! I totally LOVE your bulletin board, it's so cheerful and bright! The children seem to be growing by leaps and bounds. The older boys must be almost as tall as their father. I'm glad they're all getting better after the flu.

    Thank you for sharing the pictures, especially the baptism ones. What joy to see what the Lord is doing in your small town. God bless.

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    1. The boys are getting tall! I'm 5'10" and Timothy is just a little over and inch shorter than I am. Daniel is about half an inch taller than I am, so they are most likely going to catch up or pass us up soon :)

      It is a joy to see the Lord work! May He be glorified here in Cd. Insurgentes!!

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  11. I did too! Your children are really growing up, so nice to see a family of such godly young men and ladies:) And, of course, the little ones are so precious too! Thank you for listing some missionary blogs on your sidebar. I love reading about how God is using families around the world for Him! Blessings to you and your family.

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    1. I love reading them, too! They encourage me and I love praying for them!

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  12. I was not going to comment yet .... till I saw your question about making it to the end :). We both have Proverbs 3:5-6 on our desk!!! What a fitting place :). Hope everyone will be 100% soon and eating up all those energy bars ... I'll come back later to comment...but for now you will be quiet if I don't talk to you ... someone else won't be :)!

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    1. Isn't that such a good verse to keep our hearts/minds set where they should be?! :)
      Really, I'm rarely quiet, but true, you can't hear me, huh? :) Miss you ALL!!! :)

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  13. Hi Jaynee!!!!!!!!


    It has been so long!!! I love all your pictures and the joy in your family is so evident. Praise the Lord for what He is doing down there!!! It looks so warm and cheery there. We are so rady for some warm weather here. We sold our house and are building our dream home on our land! We have waited so long and the Lord has granted us the desires of our hearts to be on land!!! He is faithful. We are also expecting. I am 20 weeks. I have been meaning to email you these updates!!!!! Anyhow.....love peeking in on you. You are blessed. Love you!!!

    Jessica

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    1. Jessica!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I'm soooooooooo happy for you! Land!!! Another sweet little one!!!!! I miss "seeing" you all so much! Do email if/when you can and oh, I just can only imagine how big all your kiddos have gotten! I'd love to hear about your land, how you found it, how your pregnancy is going, how are Chad and the kiddos, well, just everything! I think of you often and miss and love you, too! God bless you and all He is doing in your lives!

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  14. Please put me down for an hour each day for a massage. I will even leave a tip.
    Its so good of you to share your family.
    debbieo

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    1. I'll let the girls know :) After the girls opened their "business", Josiah had a rub feet or hands with lotion shop and Ben opened a clean your nails shop :) I'm feeling pampered :)

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  15. Jaynee, I made it to the end, too! Quite gladly I might add. I always love your updates. It doesn't seem to matter what you write about, it's fun to read!

    We are busy with our seven, so I can imagine what your twelve is like. :) I have three 2 year olds this year (due to adoption) and virtual triplets is quite the adventure! God is so good to allow us the privelege of parenting these treasures, isn't He?

    Love from the Bergey Bunch to the Lockwoods!

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    Replies
    1. Your seven are sooo beautiful!!!! Being entrusted with children is such a wonderful privilege! Thank you for writing!!!
      Much love to your family!

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  16. Did I make it to the end? Haha! That was funny :-)

    I enjoyed every update and the pictures to go with them. I love hearing about the children and adults that are getting baptized there. So amazing to see the Lord work in their hearts. What a blessing that is.

    I am always so encouraged when I come visit here. We love writing to you all and seeing the interesting stamps come from Mexico :-)

    ~Cinnamon

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    1. You made it!! :) Now to really make it to the end (of the Baja Peninsula) you need to come visit! I'm going to comment on your blog, too, but....Happy Anniversary!!! :)

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  17. Great to read your update! I was amazed that Samuel turned 3! I started following your blog halfway through your pregnancy with him. Wow! So amamzing to watch the faithfulness of God at work in your lives. Thank you for your constant encouragement!

    Lord bless you,
    Maureen :-)

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  18. I seriously laughed out loud at Bekah's sorry we're closed. Tell her that Aunt Jacquee wants a massage, but she better be open. =0) I'm trying to train the girls to massage my back, so far only Saydee seems interested. She will do about 30 sec, and say, "Is you're back better now?" I'll says, "Not yet, keep trying." =0)

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    1. ha! Sweet Saydee! Next time we're up, I'll have to bring Beka over cuz she really is good and NEVER tires! She amazes me!

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  19. oh yes, I read right to the end!! Love your newsy posts!
    God Bless
    Lisa

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  20. I read all the way to the end too! :) Our 10 dc have the flu too right now, so your pictures made us smile!

    Blessings,
    Rebecca in Alberta, Canada
    Mama to 10 wonderful children (8mo-13)

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  21. Aw....I'm so sorry! I hope they feel better soon and that they don't share with Mommy/Daddy. It's so sad when they feel so crumby, but it is a lot quieter around the house! :) Until they get well enough to not be totally down/quiet yet not feeling great yet, so they whine and are grumpy all day :) Lots of mandatory naps during these days :)

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  22. Happy Birthday to your boys.Looks like they had great fun!! So glad to see that you are all recovering. You are so blessed and are such a blessing to others!!

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  23. I love reading your blog and yes I got to the end of the pictures! Looked forward to seeing them and was sorry when I veiwed the last one....Beautiful family!

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  24. Lovely post of *real* life in your home. Sorry your family was down with the 'flu...nasty! Your family is beautiful. What a gift from the Lord. :)

    I hopped over from our mutual friend Cinnamon (I am a bloggy friend with her)...I know you have known one another in the tangible way for a long time...she's mentioned you many times and I see your friendship is a treasure to her. :)

    Have a wonderful week!
    Blessings,
    Camille

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    1. Hi, Camille! I'm so glad you have had the blessing of knowing Cinnamon, too. She is such a precious friend! We have known each other for about 14 years. When my hubby was studying at Bible College in California (we were newly married with one baby and living in the dorms at the college), I taught piano lessons to help make ends meet. That's when I met Cinnamon. She had 9 yo Garrett and then Gavin, Gunner and Grace were just wee things. I began to teach Garrett piano but gained much more than a piano student. I gained a dear friend...Cinnamon! :) She is such a blessing!
      You have a wonderful week too!

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  25. I read to the end, too! So glad to read your wonderful news about how the Spirit of Christ is working in Baja Sur, and about the rich blessings of your family life. :)

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    1. Oh, I'm so glad you got to see the update! We either just sent or are about to send (I have a stack of letters waiting for the next time Daniel gets to the post office) a letter to you. I think Josiah wrote you if I remember right. I thought that this year it would be fun if the children got to have their own "special family/ies" to write and pray for and so they've each been getting their list together and have begun writing. :)
      Elijah's b'day gift was inspired by the helicopter you all gave to Timothy. They have had hours of fun with it!
      We love and miss you and love hearing form you!

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  26. I made it to the end:-) I enjoy your blog posts so much! Thank you for taking the time to share!

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  27. Yes I read every word!!! You made me teary eyed and made me smile. I just LOVE it when you post!!

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  28. Fantastic update, Jaynee! I LOVED seeing all your childrens smiling faces! God bless you guys! :)

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  29. We met you once when your family came to visit and speak at a church we were also visiting in Arizona. We are so blessed by all that you are doing in Mexico. My children love to sit with me and see the pictures and read about your ministry and family. God bless you. We will keep you in our prayers. Love, the Martinez Family in Arizona

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  30. First I was laughing over Samuel getting into the energy bars (it seems I am always reminded that a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame ;)), then I was feeling bad for your poor sick kiddos, then praising the Lord over those who have been saved and baptized! What a full post! LOVED every minute of it! And thank you so much for your sweet email...just what I needed. I hope to reply soon. :)

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    1. Oh, Jessica...I think of that verse far to often! Such a good verse and so true, huh?!
      Don't worry about emailing...I know how hard it can be sometimes to write on the road. Just keep on keeping on! Praying the Lord will continue to bless and encourage you all and touch the hearts of many when you all share what the Lord has called you to do and what he is doing!

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  31. Happy birthday, Elijah! I had to laugh at the comments on Mom's blog. I know, I'm NOT cute. I got Timothy's email and I'll reply to him soon. It sounds like Timothy had a great time doing the treasure hunt! I did make it to the end of your post. One time when I had a huge download, I read your entire blog through. I did that on another missionary's blog as well. :-) A good way to occupy time. I hope all of you feel better soon! :-) Praise the Lord for how many were baptized!

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    1. You are a wonderful young man whom I'm so glad my boys have had the privilege and blessing to befriend. :)
      You read the entire blog...wow! You probably know more about us than you want to! :)

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  32. I made it to the end and loved every bit of it!! :D I love reading your blogs everytime because they always put a big smile on my face :) Someday I wish I could become such good parents like y'all someday :)

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  33. I made it to the end! Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of your beautiful family and ministry. I laughed, I cried, and I was encouraged. Hugs and prayers to you!

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  34. Happy Birthday (really late .. but we like to spread birthdays out :))Samuel! Hope you are enjoying being 3 - Ruthie loves it :).

    Happy Birthday Elijah!!! Be careful with that plane it looks like fun but always fly with a friend :). My hubby HAD a helicopter and went out to fly it one day while we were all sick (about 5 years ago) but the baby. He took him and the helicopter got stuck way up in a tree .. my husband began to climb and about half way up he looked down and saw Jonathan in the stroller and decided it would be really stupid to leave that little guy fatherless over a toy helicopter! Have fun and be careful, that was really neat your brothers got it for you and you will have to post some of the neat pictures you get with it!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rebeka!!! Only a few days late :)!! Hope you had a wonderful 13th birthday with lots of butterflies and purple.

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  35. I miss reading your posts. Hope everything is OK.

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