Meet Our Family

I have an incredible family! My husband loves me and invests so much of his time building up our family.  As for my sons--what can I say? They are amazingly interesting and wonderful; I thank the Lord for them every day.  So here is my family. I have given them "nicknames" that describe their personalities and their gifts.

The Two of Us

Fernando (a.k.a. "Bear") and I have been married for 28 years.  His nickname is the only one I haven't taken from the Bible, but it describes him perfectly!  He is mellow and playful, but when the situation calls for it, a bit of "grizzly" emerges and he stands his ground no matter what. 

He's spontaneous; I'm a planner.

He's tall; I'm short.

He's big; I'm little.

He's brown; I'm white.

He's right-brain; I'm left-brain.

He's mellow; I'm intense.

He's smart; I'm...smart, too.  :)


The Young Men

Pretty goofy picture, huh?

Joseph (a.k.a. "Truth") is our oldest.  Yes, he struggles with autism every day, every moment.  (Read more here.)  But he is a sweetheart.  He has been a steadfast follower of Jesus Christ since February 2011.  He is currently at home with us, seeking and waiting on the Lord to show him what next, while preparing himself to be, in his words, "a man of God."  This makes our hearts smile.

Joseph loves numbers and math, and is very good at them.  He has become a voracious reader, and is intensely interested in what is going on in our state and national governments, and even in worldwide events.  Joseph is incredibly honest and speaks his mind, without intent toward malice or teasing.  In fact, he can't abide teasing.  That's a good thing!

I love this image I took of Joseph, when he decided to go rock-wall climbing with us.  For a few moments, autism faded as he climbed that wall!

Jacob (a.k.a. "Justice") comes next in line.  He was our mile-a-minute talker when he was little, filling every waking moment with chatter, smiles, and conversation--even if we couldn't understand it all.  Always happy, always the encourager, Jacob has now become the watchman and keeper for his older brother.

He has grown into a fine young man, passionate after Jesus, and loves to spend time with Godly men.  He can be a goofball sometimes, trust me!  Jacob is now the proud possessor of a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice/law enforcement, with a computer science minor (WIU).  The leader, the work-til-it's-done man--that's our Jacob!

Sweet Danny (a.k.a. "Strength") is brother #3.  He was Trouble as a little guy, and is the subject of many stories in our family's wacky oral history.  One was even recorded as a 911 call:  He "ran away" from home when he was not quite three, giving his mother about 20 minutes of utter terror and earning him a visit by two squad cars and four officers in bullet-proof vests.  He came running down the street as those officers approached me; apparently, he had been up at the corner (four-lane road, mind you!) watching the cars and trucks go by.  Those officers gave me verbal permission to spank him after they left!  I couldn't bear to do it, though; I had just gotten my baby back.

He survived those years of mischief, and he, too, has grown into a young man passionate for God.  Tenderhearted, with a love for singing and theatrics, he is a magnet for children.  And, he doesn't mind that one bit.  He's looking ahead to the possibility of medicine as a career, which he is currently pursuing as a biochemistry major at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Finally, there's Thomas (a.k.a. "Praise").  Though all the brothers are different from each other, Thomas is the most different-est of all.  He loves to have fun, can really chat me up when he's in the mood, and loves to hang out with his brothers.  He is rarely alone, and has been that way since he was a little guy.  Always pestering his brothers, wanting to play, trying to get in their space--didn't he realize there was a whole room full of toys just for him while his brothers worked on school?  Nope--it was much more fun being with his brothers.

As a little guy, he had a penchant for flipping the lock on the front door, stepping out onto the porch, and either ringing the doorbell incessantly (okay, after two days I solidly put a stop to that), or escaping out the back door and running as fast as his little legs could carry him across the field toward the four-lane road.  One of the brothers always chased him down and brought him back.  He was always smiling, too...

I think the Lord gave Thomas to me last, because He knew Thomas and I would benefit from special one-on-one time together during our waning months of homeschooling.  I treasured that time, and now he has graduated.  He is currently enrolled in an auto/diesel tech school--we even let him work on our car!!