We have met some dear friends here at CIT. So dear that we let them throw our son around. They guy on the left is Paul, an engineer going to serve in Kazakhstan and Brian is going with his wife to Peru. Actually, they are like Big Brothers to him (actually changed a nasty diaper) and helped him do boy things like find caterpillars and beetles. Grandmothers - don't get upset. Everyone is fine.

A cute laugh.

This is our sweet Madeline being so cute! This is her second time to laugh. It is amazing what parents will do to get their babies laughing! Maybe you will think this is as cute as we do. (Notice she gets poked in the eye at the end!)

Fun at Grammy's

This is the kind of thing that goes on at Grammy's. Deacon had as much fun with Madeline riding it at he did while he was riding!

For those of you that remember the walker on the incline at the guest house in Guatemala will be glad to know that Brandon never took his hands off of Madeline the entire time.

Man, are we thrill seekers or what?

What a Beauty!

This is a little slide show of our Beautiful Madeline. We are really enjoying her! Let us know what you think! If you want to see them individually, just click on "View All Images" and it will redirect you. We're a little proud.

Oh, They are So Different!

The one on the top is Madeline, and the one on the bottom is Deacon. Now, in these pictures it is not as evident as in others, but these two babies look alike! I mean, she doesn't look like Deacon does now, but she looks like Deacon did when he was a couple of days old! It is strange. Deacon was 24% larger at birth than Madeline, and his head was MUCH larger, so that is a major difference, and Deacon was broad chested while Madeline isn't. They just look so much alike to me.

But they are nothing alike. I have been amazed at how different these two kids are, even in the 6 days that I've known Madeline. Let me list the differences that I have noticed so far:

1) Deacon was huge, Madeline is small
2) Deacon would only sleep and wake in 45 min. bursts, while Madeline sleeps 6 hours, is awake for 2....waking to eat of course.
3) Deacon would burp after eating, only to then projectile spit up. Every time he would eat, he would spit up copious amounts of milk large distances. Madeline hardly ever spits up, and when she does, it just sort of dribbles down her cheek.
4) at 2 days old, Deacon would stand up in you lap (his legs were ridiculously strong) and lift his head for short bursts. Madeline only picks her head up for milliseconds.
5) Deacon HATED being on his tummy. Madeline would sleep on her tummy if we let her.
6) Deacon was a spaz....he was constantly in motion unless he was swaddled. Madeline will just sit and stare without moving her limbs for minutes at a time
7) Deacon had to be swaddled...very tight....to sleep. Madeline gets upset if she's swaddled and wants her arms free.
8) Deacon was fussy...he had reflux and so cried and boy-hydee it was loud. Madeline hardly ever cries and is generally pretty quiet...as far as babies go that is.
9) Deacon had (has) very fat, thick feet, while Madeline has skinny, narrow feet.

It is really amazing. She was calmer in the womb, and she is calmer out. I am sure some of it is boy/girl stuff, and some is just personality.

I can't wait to get to know her better. I can't wait for all of you to get to know her. Praise God for individuality. It is interesting how much I had assumed about her based on my experience with Deacon. I never thought about what life would be like with a little, calm, easy baby girl. How fun! I'm going to go to sleep pretty soon. Madeline is in an awake time now. Thanks Brandon for entertaining our baby for a few minutes so I could sacrifice some sleep to blog a bit.

Guess what happened

This time yesterday....


at 9:56 am

January 6 2007

7 lb 3oz Madeline Lea came into our world. Welcome, little one.




Everyone is doing fine. We're a little tired. Or a lot. Everyone is healthy and good. And Deacon is excited about his baby sister. Like she's a puppy. Jenny's water broke at 12:45 am, Sunday and things moved along normally. Thank you for all your prayers.

Here's a few more pics:

Too much cake? NEVER!

I felt this same way, I think.


There are so many things that I want to blog about. I wanted to blog on my son's birthday about him. I wanted to blog on my birthday about life. I wanted to blog about Christmas. I wanted to blog about the New Year and all that jazz. I wanted to blog about my incredible husband on our anniversary. I wanted to blog about passing my due date and still carrying this baby (as of now I am still pregnant). I just don't get much time on the computer!

So for now, this will have to do, until I can get caught up. I am going to try to blog tomorrow about at least a few of those things previously mentioned. I am also going to catch up on reading everyone's blogs. I just get updated from Brandon, but that just isn't the same.

A Month Away

In one month (give or take a couple of weeks) I will be having a baby! Yippee! I am feeling pretty good...just the normal pregnancy aches and pains and interrupted sleep complaints. Aside from that, all is going very well.
We are planning on having this baby at my mom's house. That is of course assuming that all continues to go well with the pregnancy. With one month to go, it is looking like we are doing all right, but we haven't stopped praying.
I have other things to blog about, but my sick baby (102.7 temperature) is now awake from his nap. Gotta go do some nurturing.

A Remembrance

Here is the Obituary for my daddy. Thank you Brandon for your wonderful words. Thank you daddy for being a Family Man. Thank you Lord for finally healing him.

Robert Ross Moore

Robert Ross Moore, 56, of Lubbock passed into glory and into true life Nov., 14, 2007 in Lubbock. He was born Feb., 1, 1951 to Burton Ross Moore and Wardine Clearman Moore in Seminole, Texas In 1974, he married his beautiful bride Debbie Hooker in Amarillo, Texas. Mr. Moore attended Texas Tech University, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor's in Finance. He worked for Texas Instruments as a Corporate Credit Manager until his retirement in 2001. He was a member of Lakeridge United Methodist Church in Lubbock.

Those left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife; one son, Jason Moore and wife Denise of Lubbock; one daughter, Jennifer Moore Scott and her husband Brandon of Guatemala; his mother, Wardine; one brother, Richard Moore and wife Pam of Tyler, Texas; and three grandchildren, Avery, Garret, Deacon, and one on the way.

Robert fiercely loved his Lord, wife and children and no person knew a better friend. Our heavenly Father freed Robert from the pain of this world into His arms where Rob will soar with wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint.

Until we see you face to face: peace love dove groovy baby. 1-4-3. Graveside services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007 at Resthaven Memorial Park. Memorial services will follow at 10:30 a.m., at the Lakeridge United Methodist Church with Reverend Bill Couch officiating.

Arrangements are under the personal care of White Funeral Home of Lubbock.

New House

I wanted to post a few pictures of the house because I said I would. I want to say that houses here are SO MUCH CHEAPER to rent than in the states. Buying a house is similar, but we are paying less here than we paid for a 1 bedroom apartment in Lewisville, TX! Praise God with us for His provision!

The photos are of the outside of the house (that photo is of across the street - the houses are duplexes - so that's not our house, but that's what our house looks like), the upstairs living area, and Deacon playing in his new room. When we ask him if he wants to go see the new house, he says "new house? Thank you." It is sooo cute!

We're moving!

This may be a surprise to some, but WE'RE MOVING! AGAIN! The new house is so cool. God's provision with it is so great and we are just ready to get in it. We found it by accident, and it turned out to be exactly what we have been looking for. We are hoping to be totally moved in in about a week, although we will be doing some unpacking for quite a while I imagine.

Not sure how much time we will have to blog over the next couple of days, but check back b/c I will be posting photos of the new house soon. (the camera is in the car and I am too lazy to walk into the garage right now to retrieve the pictures on in. Sad, huh. :)

Keep us in your prayers please at moving is always difficult, especially when you are 6 months pregnant and can't help lift hardly anything! More details soon.

And so it began.

I am doing a little personal study on how to be a suitable helper to my husband. It started in the beginning with Adam and Eve.

Gen 2:18 States that "it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him."

Before this, God gave Adam instructions and responsibilities (not to eat from a certain tree for example). So what did Adam need help with? Reading on in verse 22 we find out that the Lord made Eve from the rib he took out of the man. She is made from a missing piece of him. It makes sense that this helper that God created for Adam is to help "fill in the gaps" so to speak. But at this point, Adam is without sin, and yet he still needed a helper. Boy if I could remember that. Adam just needed a helper to help him accomplish and to be all that God had planned for him to be! To help raise him up.

Ok...In Gen. 3:6 "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it. "

CRAP! Now where did Eve fail? What could she have done differently?
Who was the original instruction given to? Why did she not defer this decision to Adam?
She also introduced something to Adam that was essentially poison. (Spiritual poison) She ignored God (not asking what He thought about it) and trusted in her own logic and wisdom ("she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom") and then took the lead with it and then offered it to Adam!

How many times do I offer bits and pieces of poison to my husband: A little piece of gossip, a critical opinion, etc?

How many times do I rush to give my opinion on an issue that is facing our family, w/o first consulting the Creator of our family? Or even worse, I rush and just make decisions on behalf of my family with out deferring to my husband. I BECOME EVE!

I become the leader, and/or the hindrance instead of the helper. Do we know if it would have turned out differently if Eve had done the "right" thing? We have no idea. But I can learn from her mistakes:

To sum up what she "should" have done (and what I should do)
1. Deferred the decision to Adam in the first place. It was to him that God gave the instructions!
2. Ask God immediately for wisdom and for aid in facing the serpent.
3. Given Godly (not earthly) wisdom to Adam as his helper.

Easy as pie!
Sigh.

Walk a Mile or Two?

"If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Matthew 5:41

Someone is trying to force us to go one mile. I am going to be speaking metaphorically for a while, so bear with me. Our situation isn't a perfect metaphor.

My first reaction to this mile forcer is "Wait, you have no right to force us to walk that mile. We are individuals with certain wants and needs, and you can not force us. It is not right."

Then my next reaction is " Wait, we just can't possibly walk that first mile (especially not the extra) because we have a family: a toddler, a baby on the way in Jan, and we are leaving the country in 6 weeks! We just don't logistically have the option of walking at all! There just isn't time. I personally just can not handle it." Then I wonder if I just don't have the faith to walk that mile or two and trust that God will handle the details.

Next comes "Jesus says to not only go that one mile, but go with him two. WHAT? Now that would be much easier, if we were really talking about walking miles, but we aren't, are we? We all know that Jesus was giving broader instructions than just feet to the pavement for 5,280 feet. So where does that leave us??"

Ok...I have gone back and forth between these three things over and over and over...and I have no conclusions. I also keep coming back to the question: Who is more important...us or him? And does that even really play into this? And the me or him question is easier to answer than the us or him when you bear responsibility for two children. I read this morning in Psalm 143:10 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."

Here are the questions that I desire your responses to: 1. What would you do? Walk the mile or no...walk the two? How do you justify your answer?

2. How do you apply this verse in Matthew? Where is the line for you as to what is a reasonable time to say..."No. You can't force me to walk this mile, so I won't, or I just can't" if there ever is a reasonable time to say that.

3. I want to know your general feelings about what I have written. I am looking for clarity, and I am waiting for the Lord to teach me to do His will. Most likely it looks different than the World's answers to these same questions.

That Psalm is my prayer because I, in my limited vision can not see tomorrow. I can't undertsand other people's motives. I can't be the judge. I can't see what is best. And most of all, I don't know how to apply the Word of God here. I must be taught. I must trust Him to lead our family through Brandon. I must trust God in ways that I have not before. I must trust Him to solve a problem in the immediate that is to us, unsolvable. Please pray for us as you respond. And please respond.

Strange Country

Ok...I want to tell you about two things.

1st. I was walking our dog at like 6:20 this morning. There are always other dogs around. They don't really do animal control in the typical sense. If I go early enough, most of the dogs are on people's roofs. Houses here are concrete block (or adobe) with flat roofs. People keep their dogs on their roofs at night time. While I am walking Bella, there are always loud barks coming from up above me as dogs are going crazy on the roofs of the houses that I pass.

This particular morning, one of the puppies that was on a 2 story roof, leaped off and landed right next to me on the street. This poor puppy had to be like 6 months old, and was laying, yelping/crying in the street after a two story fall. Oh, my gosh! I had Bella so I had to steer pretty clear, but I rang the bell and knocked on the door to the owner's house for several minutes until I woke them up. I only hope that they take the poor dog to a vet to either be repaired or put to sleep. It was so tragic and weird at the same time.

2nd. Today is election day here in Guatemala. (there will be a run off in month or so) Basically, all of our Guatemalan friends as well as the US embassy has told us to stay indoors for the next couple of days. Really only to get out if it is necessary. Violence skyrockets over the next couple of days as parties are voted in and out. Rumor has it that if this one guy gets elected (he is in the lead right now) that it will be like the war all over again. Genocide will occur as he states that the way to get rid of crime is to imprison and kill the very poor (a.k.a. Mayan people), as they are the ones desperate enough to commit violent crimes. This is totally speculative but this is what the Guatemalans that we know are convinced will happen. So all that to say, please pray for this country. Especially over the next couple of days, that violence would be curbed and people would stay safe. Please pray that the Lord would intervene according to His will to protect the defenseless poor of Guatemala. The Lord sets up and removes kings according to Daniel, and so we are praying for His divine will to be done. And please pray for us as we might get a little stir crazy!

A Little Homesick

Saturdays here are no different than Saturdays in the states. We aren't "working" today , although we have a to-do list that we want to work on. We woke up late (7:20) and Deacon slept in a bit (7:45). We just finished breakfast at 9:15...a breakfast of waffles with fruit topping, sausage, and coffee. The weather here is gorgeous in the mornings...in the 60's and mostly sunny. In the afternoon we will have rain.

But there is a difference. I don't know what it is...maybe I'm just pregnant and hormonal and nostalgic, but...

For example, there are no Sat. morning cartoons (at least in English). There is no college football on TV. There are no noise restrictions here so there is a constant state of window rattling Spanish music playing on the street. We don't have a yard for Deacon to run around in. It still just doesn't "feel" right. I miss going to the mall on a Saturday and just walking around. (there is a mall here, but it is 85% shoe stores) I miss the Saturday environment of Home Depot runs and matinée movies, and...I don't know.

Right now it just feels like something is wrong here. I don't feel very at home today. At the same time, the thought of leaving our home here to go back to the states for possibly 5 months sounds terrible too. We really are between cultures, between homes, between, between, between.

The good news is that this is just my state of emotions right now. This will pass. Tomorrow or the next day.

Tell me about your Saturday. What did you do? I want to hear about what all is going on in America today.

Some cool news!

Well...we have some news!

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!
(at least we are 90-95% sure we are having a girl according to the tech who read the sonogram)

Right now we are deciding on names. We are in between two favorites right now. If you want you can go to the kid's website at http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=49922
and vote on which name you like the best. (by the way, if you disable your pop-up blocker the website is cuter!)
Madeline Lea Scott (Baby Madi)
or
Macauley Ruth Scott (Baby Mac)

Watch the end

This is so cute. You have to watch Deacon until the very end of the clip. You may have to even watch it twice to see what happens. Oh, my gosh this cracks me up!

Some new friends

I have a few new friends living with me. I just don't feel like being hospitable. They are very greedy and are actually keeping me in the house. I am so tired just from dealing with them, but they just latch on and won't let go! They drain all of my energy and actually keep me up at night Seriously, it makes me want to vomit!!

He-He!! I've got a parasitic infection called giardia! YUCK! It basically is severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and general fatigue. My fellow missionaries don't feel that bad for me because they have all had it multiple times. I was told "welcome to the club of people with stomach issues." I was always the one here with the iron stomach, that could eat the street food with out too much caution. I guess the lower immune system with pregnancy put me on a more normal playing field.

I will most likely start drug therapy today. Last night was crappy b/c Deacon was sick in the PM with some stomach flu and high fever, and I shared a sucker with him yesterday. I was up all night (b/c of my own nausea and b/c I wanted to hear if Deacon started learching) praying that I wouldn't get the vomitus maxumus so that I could help Brandon take care of Deacon.

Everything is better in the morning light, especially after Deacon and I both took hour-and-a-half-naps.

The worst of sinners

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - and I am the worst of them! But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen"
Words of Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15-17

I am both humbled and encouraged by this. Why do we ever become judgmental? Why do we ever get self-righteous or hide our sins from ourselves or others! The unending patience that Jesus shows me and the mercy to save me (the worst of sinners....have to be worst than Paul!) is a testimony...an example! Maybe one of the issues is how often we are not even around those who don't believe enough for us to be that example. Just a thought.

This makes me want to be bold in the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus!

Be encouraged and urged on as I am.

Feeling Life

Gosh, it's been so long.

I am just getting to experience the COOLEST thing that I believe the Lord lets humans experience. I am growing a little baby inside of me.

When I was first pregnant, I was deathly ill. Then, the sickness went away, and I felt totally normal. I wasn't showing when I "should" have been (whatever that means), I didn't feel any different. In fact, I was thinner (thanks to the 1st 10 weeks or so), had more energy, and often times forgot that I was pregnant! Brandon would say, " you really shouldn't lift that much," or "make sure you are taking that vitamin" or something like that, and I would think..."Geez, that's right, I'm pregnant!"

Well, all of that is over now. I am growing rapidly now (can still wear most of my pants thanks to the initial weight loss) but it is very obvious that I am pregnant. To me and the rest of the world. The coolest thing is though, that I can actually feel this baby moving inside of me! I can feel it kick, roll, and push against one part of my belly. It is the strangest, coolest thing, and I don't think I will ever get used to it!

We went for a ultrasound a couple of days ago, and we were so pumped to find out the sex of the baby. Well, after 20 min. or so of looking at the heart, the bladder, the legs, the little arms and hands clenching and un-clenching around the face, they couldn't get a good look at the one place I really wanted to see! The really amazing thing is, is that I thought that I would be disappointed, but the pure joy of seeing that little one moving around inside of me, and that it was by all accounts healthy, far outweighed the disappointment of not knowing.

We may try again to check what we are going to have...so I will keep everyone posted. You know, I realize that so many women don't get the opportunity to actually feel their children in their womb. I must say, that as cool as it is, even that is overshadowed by holding that baby in your arms, and knowing that this is what the Lord has given you. This is His gift to steward. That is even better.