Jennifer Galindo

Will work for......

So our kids ministry has experience a lot of growth this summer.  Especially in our nursery!  There has been a buzz around COTK b/c last Sunday there were 18 kids in the nursery.  To some that would not be a big deal but for our space that basically meant wall to wall kids plus those overseeing the  chaos excitement!  The conversation had already started on ideas to implement a preschool class!  I'm really excited that in mid-September we will launch this ministry for our kids!  Those who are 3 & 4 will get to experience age appropriate ministry and we'll free up quite a bit of space in our nursery!  The pictures below are our way of woooing potential volunteers!  Who wouldn't want to work with this kid and so many others like him!

Vacation 09

Our trip to Flordia is definitely the best family trip we have ever had and it was much needed.  After working the first week in Florida we spent our first official day of vacation at Sea World!  I loved it and the kids enjoyed it too!  Our first stop was to see Shamu!  It was so amazing to see those whales connect with their trainers!  Our kids were amazed too!  Nick asked so many questions.  My favorite was the dolphins.  They put on a great show!  The biggest bummer of the day was the dead battery in our camera.  I did capture a few shots on my camera though.

After Sea World we headed north to visit our great friends Lars and Janine.  Saturday night started a very enjoyable few days of much needed rest and relaxation.........

Kids Council 09

Our first week in Florida was spent at the General Council for the AG.  I had the opporunity to lead worship for the K-3 grade services  It was a blast.  The speaker was Robin Garvin!  What an amazing speaker.  She connected in such a cool way with the kids and I was honored to make a new friend!  I was excited that Eddie and Samantha Edwards were also able to lead with me.  We had such a fun time putting together our costumes and practicing the songs!  I'm so thankful to do ministry with my husband and to have talented friends like Sam to pull into things like this!  It was a great experience and I'm thankful for all that I learned. 

Making memories!

At the beginning of August our family packed their bags and headed to Florida.  Our first stop was for the General Council conference held in Orlando.  But the trip really began at the airport.  It was our first experience boarding a plane with two toddlers.  Rosie and Nick did great.  They were troopers right from the start.  We've never been more thankful for our double stroller than we were on this trip!  Nick was excited to see the planes.  Rosie just wanted to look around.  She's entered a new crying phase that is totally  new to us.  EVERYTHING causes her to cry (fake cries mostly) and in her most pitiful voice say "hold me." Eddie falls for it everytime! She is pretty adorable!  For the first flight the cutest thing had to be Nick and the ipod!  Later he would ask me for his little tv.  It was a great start to a great couple of weeks.  By the end of travel day 1 we were all exhausted.  We checked into our hotel and turned in a little after 9pm.  I haven't gone to bed that early in a long time but we were ramping up for a busy week. 

Eddie said something several times over the two weeks that really stuck out to me.  We made memories for our family on this vacation.  We've never felt closer to the kids and I believe it's something we'll look back at in years to come and remember the great things God did on our first vacation together.

Back to blogging!

The past few months have been busy and full of life experiences.  I've decided to take my time in going through each of them.  I've learned a lot, forgotten a lot, smiled a lot and prayed a lot.  Sometimes all on the same day.  So, starting this week, I'll recap several events that have taken place in the Galindo home this summer! 

Can't Sleep

It's been a while since this has happened, but I can't fall asleep tonight.  My mind won't shut off.  So for the past 2 hours this is what I have done:

-- finished the last 4 chapters in a book I've been reading

-- prayed

-- stared at the ceiling for a bit

-- planned out my week in my head

-- checked in on my kids

-- checked my email

-- check my facebook

-- checked out Fox news and read about North Korea

-- wondered why in the world I'm wide awake

-- decided to blog

BK (before kids) I used to have nights like this often.  My mind would be racing with all that I had done that day or what needed to be done the next day.  Since the kids have been here, I've slept better.  Probably b/c I'm way more tired.  Maybe this means I'm settling into my new role as a mom and learning to juggle life a bit better.  If so, this is one old habit I really don't want to return to.  Maybe it's just a fluke.  Either way, I'm going to attempt again to catch some zzzzzz's.  Hopefully they won't be so elusive this time.

Happy Birthday Nick!

Yesterday was a great day!  Our little boy turned three years old!  It was a great day from start to finish.  In the morning Eddie and I got up a little early and cooked breakfast before the kids got up.  When Nick came downstairs he had a stack of french toast with 3 candles in them.  He was so excited when we sang happy birthday for the first time that day.  He even acted a little shy.  We enjoyed a great breakfast and then let him open his first gift.  The rest of the morning was a spend getting ready for his afternoon party.  We enjoyed a great afternoon and evening with a few close friends and family.  My desire was that Nick would feel more excited about the people than the gifts.  I really feel like he did that.  He played in his kiddie pool, jumped in the inflatable castle and ran all over the yard playing with toys!  After a long day, and no nap, he wrapped up the evening playing with his new Thomas the train & tracks! 

Happy birthday little guy!  Your dad and I are so blessed to have you in our lives and in our home!  You are God's gift to us and we love you more and more everyday!  God's plans for your life are so great and we look forward to watching you grow into the man of God you are meant to be!

Keeps Me Young

School is out for college students and over the past few weeks I've reunited with "kids" who were once IN the kid's ministry or young leaders at COTK.  I had coffee this morning with Jessica and Crissie was over just a couple of weeks ago.  Both so grown up and creating lives of their own.  I'll admit it makes me feel a little old.  But once I got past that I realized what amazing students have passed through our church.  Several are coming back now for the summer and I'm excited to reconnect with them.  In just a few weeks Chris, one of my very first kid's in the kid's ministry, will be be graduating from high school.  I'm so proud of him and so honored to be a part of so many kid's lives!  It's so great to watch God work in and through this next generation!  I love being a part of it.  Keeps me young!

Who's coming over today?

Eddie and I really do love spending time with people.  We have seasons of life where we seem to entertain more.  Now that we have adjusted more to having the kids, it seems we have had more people over in the past few weeks.  I wouldn't have thought it was a lot but lately Nick has been asking the same question almost every morning, "who's coming over today?"  I actually love it!  Nick is a very social little guy and I love showing him what true community is.  It's sharing life together.  It's spending time together.  Eddie and I still guard our family time but it's a lot of fun starting off this summer enjoying our back yard and "whoever comes over today."

Update

FINALLY!! Eddie and I are now licensed foster parents in the state of Michigan.  That may not seem like a big deal, but it's taken a very long 8+ months to see it happen.  But we're here and it will make the next step in our process go much smoother!  Thanks for all who have been praying for us!  We are so thankful!