A Month Of Blessings

I cannot believe today is the last day of February and we are preparing to make our way back home to Kentucky! We have had a good time visiting with our family and friends here in Georgia for the past 2 months and are now eagerly awaiting our departure home. 

It has been a busy month filled with fun but I will just briefly mention some of the highlights.

My Grandparents came for a few days to my parents house to visit and attend my baby shower that my mom and sister-in-law Lidia threw for me! It was so good to see them as I had not seen them since the Wedding which was over 1 yr ago! We had a good time hanging out and catching up!

(Thank You Lidia for all your hard work on this Cake! It turned out awesome!)

(Grandmother, Mother, Daughter, and Grandson)

My incredible Husband Mateo took a 2 day CPR Instructor Class and will now be teaching CPR classes both for work and on the side! I am so proud of him!

I had a sweet Valentines Day spent with Mateo and my mom and I had fun making some new pies that turned out amazing!!!

I took my Gestational Diabetes test at 26 weeks and am so thankful that I passed! I was pretty nervous as my chances of having it are greater due to it running in my family. Thankfully, everything has come back normal so far and our little son is continuing to grow healthy and strong!

(24 Weeks)

(26 Weeks)

Well that is all for now! Hope y'all had a great month!

Looking forward to spring!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 2 ESV)

A New Year Part 2

Wow! It is amazing how quickly time fly's when you are having fun!

Its been a great last 2 weeks spent with Family, Friends and doing the usual craziness.

The Williamson Family (Mateo's oldest sisters husband and girls) decided to come hang out for a few days and since we were all in town it was decided that we should get some family photos done! Here are a few of my favorites! :D

(The Mancas and Williamson Families)

 (All the ladies in the families)

(I think we might outnumber the men but we will be adding one to this bunch this year!)

(Our Growing Family)

Following the family pictures we had a graduation party for Samuel and Maria at the Mancas home! Samuel Graduated with his Associates degree and Maria graduated from High-school! We are so excited to see what is in store for them in their futures!

At Church the next Sunday Alegria snapped this picture of Mateo holding his youngest niece who is going to be 2 in March! She was so exhausted from the busy weekend!

(Here we are at 22 weeks!)

I snapped a few shots of my awesome husband playing Frisbee and thought I would have a few bragging moments ;)

I love to watch him play Frisbee!

(Just some flowers my mom and I found at Kroger that I love!)

Over all this month has been filled with memories that we will cherish for many years to come! We are so blessed to be able to spend this time with our Family and Friends!

I will leave you with the end of Ecclesiastes 1 and I pray as we continue into this new year that our eyes are continually fixed upon our Savior and constantly trusting in his grace and love!

~ Until next time ~

 

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

 (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 ESV)

A New Year

Well it's a new year and we are already halfway through the first month! It is so hard to believe that we have been here in Georgia for 3 weeks! How can time fly by so quickly?!

 We began the New Year by celebrating with good Cuban cooking, games, and fellowship with Mateo's family and my parents! We had a great time! Here are a few pictures of that evening!

(Maria being well.... Maria lol)

 (My husband being his usual goofy self!)

(Thinking deep thoughts about the game)

(My mom and Lidia the dish ladies!)

(Cleaning the kitchen after some great food!)

(Lucas, Kaycee and Mateo)

 

After all the partying was over we began the process of settling into a new routine of living life down here in Georgia.
 On January 2nd I made it halfway through my pregnancy!!! It is so nice to have made it through the first half and I am looking forward to the second half even more!!!
 We are so excited to meet our son!

(20 week baby bump picture)

(My husband showing his excitement about my being halfway lol)

Mateo started playing Frisbee again with our group down here in Georgia on Sundays. I enjoyed watching them play and being able to marvel at the beautiful sunset!

(I love getting to see the beauty of God's handiwork in the sky)

I have been looking for a baby album for my little man off and on for a little while now and one day at Hobby Lobby I ran across one that I fell in love with!!! I am so excited about it and can't wait to start filling it with pictures when he arrives!!!

My Mother-in-law had knee surgery on her right knee on the 8th and is now in the recovery stages. The surgery went well but prayers would be appreciated as they work through the long and hard process of recovery. 

Well that's pretty much all the updating I can do right now. 

I hope you are having a blessed beginning of 2015!

This year I have decided to go through the book of Ecclesiastes and since there are 12 chapters, every month I will focus on a new chapter. I am excited to be able to spend this year focusing on this incredible book of the Bible and what the Lord is going to teach me through it!
 Here is the first half of Chapter 1 in Ecclesiastes.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 ESV)

The End Of 2014

Today is the last day of 2014. It's crazy to think how much has happened in this past year and so hard to believe it is already over... I had planned on making a post earlier in December but things have been so crazy for us that I am just now getting a chance to sit down and type something up! The month began fairly normal with taking down Thanksgiving decor and putting up the Christmas decor. I always love getting to decorate for Christmas. I have such fond memories of doing it with my family every year and I love getting to do it with my hubby and next year with our baby! :D 

(Our Christmas Tree and stockings)

(The Nativity without the wise-men)

(My surprise gift from my awesome husband)

Every weekend we had Christmas Town at the Creation Museum but unfortunately I have no pictures! Hopefully next year I will get some! I had a wonderful time watching a friend of mine's little 10 month old girl a few times as well! She is such a joy and loves my Holiday Teddy-Bear!

I took my first Baby Bump picture at 16 weeks pregnant and then the second at 18 weeks but honestly I am still not showing very much! I know it is just a matter of time though :P

(16 weeks)

(18 weeks)

At the Middle of the month we had our annual Christmas gift for all our Tour Guides where we all drive down to Historic Banning Mills for a couple days and the guides get free rooms, meals and all day zip-lining on the extensive course in Whitesburg Georgia! It is lots of fun! I bowed out of the zip-lining this year but enjoyed the food and spending time with our families for the couple days we were in town! We also got to stay in one of their new Tree House Cabins which was AWESOME!!!! I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of it!

 

(Our crazy car on the way down to Georgia with 2 of the guides)

We celebrated Christmas with my family one of the days in Georgia and I got a few pics of the crazy stocking opening fun! :D

(My Grandmother/Dad's mom)

(Alex)

 (Mateo and I)

(My Parents)

 (Bethany)

When we got back to Kentucky we had another Christmas Town Weekend and then I came down with a cold! Its always a pain being sick but when your pregnant and sick it is just twice as bad because there basically nothing you can take... Thus I don't have any pictures of Christmas Eve with Alex and Bethany or Christmas with Mateo's Sisters. Mateo and I opened our gifts for each other on Christmas Eve and he got me the best Mug ever!!!

(Isn't it awesome?!)

(Christmas Gifts from my Hubby! He knows what I like!)

We had a great Christmas spent with Family and even though I was sick the whole time we were able to manage packing our apartment up and moving down to Georgia for the months of January and February like we did last year! I couldn't have done it without the help of  my wonderful husband and two of the best sister-in-laws ever! Thank you Lidia and Maria for all your help!

Last but not least.... The day after we arrived here in Georgia I had a Sonogram to find out the gender of our baby!!! I am happy to announce that we are having a baby boy in May of 2015!!! We are naming him Lucas James Mancas! 

Lucas ~ after Mateo and his dad/my father-in-law

James ~ after my dad and his father

It has been an eventful year and I have much to look back upon and be thankful for! God has blessed us so much and I am continually amazed at his grace and mercy! I look forward to what He has in store for my family either through tears of joy or tears of sorrow! I will forever remain His faithful servant walking hand in hand with the man of my dreams looking upon his Goodness!

Until next year my friends!

 May you continue to grow in the love of the Lord!

James 1:12

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

A Season of Thankfulness

I am afraid my original plan of posting every 5 days did not make it very far. But as I am sure we all can attest, life never goes as we plan. I am going to dedicate this post to updating my busy yet wonderful last couple weeks.

My two amazing parents who I am so very blessed with, decided to come up for about 5 days for a few special occasions which for the most part involved family time, wedding planning/shopping, an engagement party, and my brothers 21st birthday! It was a busy 5 days to say the least... To add to the the craziness, we got our first big snow storm while my parents were here! Below are a few pictures I took with my phone (sorry if they are not that clear) of while they were here!

 

(This was taken standing from my balcony)

 (This was my awesome husbands view from work)

                    I don't really like winter but when it looks like this outside... I don't care who you are. That is gorgeous!

(My wonderful parents)

(My now 21yr old big brother on his birthday and his sweet fiance peaking out behind him)

 

 (My simple/not very creative table decorations for Thanksgiving.This was taken this morning so the candles have burned out :P)

The evening before Thanksgiving my most wonderful husband surprised me with a date! He took me out to dinner and then a movie! I love surprise date nights! He is the best!

We had a great Thanksgiving with just the two of us. We had our Lord of the Rings marathon just like last year and I made way too much food so we will be having Thanksgiving dinner for many nights to come. lol But it was relaxing and a great way to spend our last Thanksgiving with just the two of us before our little bundle of joy shows his/her face in May! 

I am Thankful for many things this year but the one I am thankful for most is the Blessing of this growing life inside of me. I praise God everyday for the opportunity to carry and nurture this miracle and one day meet him/her face to face.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a blessing to you and those around you!