This is just a repository of some memories while single and dating.
With my boys. 💟💟💟
May 10th, 2023
Hi Lila,
I hope you are doing well. I don’t even know where to start
or if you will ever read this letter…I first heard you on a podcast debating on
the pro-life side. Your points were just so valid and have help me understand
more how to discuss or have a rebuttal when several issues come up. At the time
I didn’t even know we also shared the same faith. See, it often seems like the
pro-abortion side tries to get out of defining a new human by saying that they
don’t believe in religious definition that human life begins at fertilization.
I was so amazed that you brought science to back up your arguments and did so
respectfully and with grace.
Then; I started to follow LIVE action and also read (or heard)
your book. I just kept getting more admired by your courage and determination
to fight for life. To be more courageous.
In March of this year, I went to my 20 week anatomy
appointment and MFM told me that our babies (twins) had a soft marker that could
be downs syndrome. At that time, I was in the part of your book with all the
stats on how many countries abort children with disabilities. In my mind, it
was never a question, but I was sad to know how difficult it would probably be
if both of my identical twins had the extra chromosome. We have since done
additional testing and obtain very low probability of our kids having DS. I
reached out to DS community, and they were so supportive. It made me think of a
part on your book where the best response is for that mother to be in
community, and not to fend for herself or hurt their unborn child.
Right now, we have another trial. Our twins have been
diagnosed with TTTS. The best way to describe it is that my placenta is no
longer splitting the nutrients between the twins evenly and at this point one
has more amniotic fluid than the other twin. I got admitted at the hospital at
26 weeks 5 days. I was put on magnesium and 2 rounds of steroid shots to help the
babies develop their lungs faster. I kept waking up and thinking “we are
fighting for your lives” little guys. The doctors are balancing between keeping
them in my womb to increase their chances once they are delivered and taken to
NICU and deciding when is that right time. We have made it to 27weeks and 6
days. Every day counts. I hadn’t made the connection, but that is the title of your
book. I keep thinking of all the places that are doing just the opposite for
women while we are fighting for my sons lives. Medicine should be there to
preserve lives and not what the abortion industry preaches on murdering our
babies. Lila: Thank you for being a voice for the unborn and the weakest.
As I lay in bed; unable to move and praying for their lives,
I read a couple of quotes from my devotional: “Be still and know that I am God”
Psalm 46:10 NIV. Knowing that He is here with me and with us. Knowing that we
have great doctors watching over my care and the care of my sweet twins. And
another that said “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect
in weakness”. Our most defenseless people are suffering. God is in them and we
must protect them. I am not one to share my views on social media, but
recently, took a small step in sharing one of your Live Action videos. I am going
to keep working on my courage to also be a voice for our children and will keep
donating to Live Action.
Lila—I don’t know if you hear this enough but thank you for
all the work you do.
Respectfully;
Ana Russell
There is a reason for me
being M.I.A. Or a lot! Not only did I just published my book 3 months ago…but
we also moved to Dallas area! Ya’ll might be thinking it is not too far…but it
does feel far from what I knew. I knew Austin like the palms of my hands, I knew
the roads and the spots and of course…the parks!
However, this is a new
opportunity for us and for our boys. We think this move will be so amazing for
them and definitely right for our family. My hope is to keep exploring and
going on so many different adventures. Starting with Crayola experience.
The Crayola experience
was located inside a Mall. They did a phenomenal job marking how to get there!
From which parking and which entrance it was an A+ for me.
There were various fun
activities mixed with technology. The activities were better geared towards my
4yo, but the 1 yo also had fun! 😊
We started by personalizing
our own crayon! The kids could select their own color and I helped him put his
name on the label maker. Then we went to a station to wrap it around the
crayon. This was fun. There was a station to take a picture with your kid and
it turned it into a coloring page for you to then color on the next station.
We enjoyed coloring and
also melting crayon to make beautiful art!
A highlight for the boys was the indoor park as well. It had various slides and the kids stayed entertained for quite a bit! They also had a toddler version of this park, which I appreciate for my 1yo not to be trampled by the older kiddos.
I did dock down a few
points on safety, because one of the slides was pitch black and my toddler had
a meltdown there due to this. I was there with him but went first with my 1yo. He
had never had a meltdown in a slide…so I think it wasn’t tested internally or
they might not be aware how dark it really is.
At the end we stopped by
the gift shop and got some jumbo crayons and more coloring paper. These were a
little over-charged…but what gift shop isn’t?
I would recommend this
place if your kids are artistic or to fill a day with a fun activity. Because
it’s in the mall, it was easy to go to the food court afterwards for some food.
|
Factor |
Description |
Rating (Out of 5) 5 Being best |
|
Uniqueness |
Did it have that unique vibe? Was it new and
interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your
neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something
different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not unique, a value of 5
means it was crazy unique and different. |
5 |
|
Variety |
Refers to the different areas or different activities that
were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5
means it had a lot of different things for the kids! |
5 |
|
Safety |
How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene
much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not
very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means
safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof. |
3 |
|
Kid Friendly |
Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for
adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not
really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids. |
5 |
|
Overall |
Average of all factors listed below for final overall
score |
4.5 |
Memories with the Boys!
Brothers. Charles always insists on holding his little brother's hand.
I expected to see more...jealousy, but so far it has been more sweetness and a bit of obsession over his little brother. He does want to be burped just like Camilo and may have requested breastmilk (which he didn't like)...overall, just so happy to see their sweet relationship and I do know things may change 🤪 but just enjoying superrussellbrosthem both at this stage! 💙💙🙏🏾 #superrussellbros
 How blessed I am to have them. Conversations with my 4yo. 4yo: Mommy. You know, you and I have something special? Me: of course we do...but what are you thinking about? 4yo: well, you and I both like the chocolate donuts with nuts the best. Me: That is so special!! 🍩(no donut with nuts emoji ) Conversation I overheard my 1 yo have as his dad is reading him a book. 1yo: donut? Dad: that's the number zero Camilo. Proud of my boys. 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩 |
 |
 |
Es dificil decir adios asi que sera vernos de nuevo! Fueron 10 años en Austin y muchas amistades bellas para toda la vida. Los quiero mucho 🥰🥰   Sweet Eats Fruit Farms. Farm day with the fam. The #boys first time riding ponys and horses. 🐴 Super recommend Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, TX. They have various activities pig races, tires to push, petting zoo, and picking seasonal fruits and more! 😊 |
This blog is a bit different than my usual park reviews. I have an announcement: I am now a Children's Book Author! This project started with one simple thought: "I could do better". When my older boy started spending lots of time reading some books that I found to be just ok, I thought "I could do a better job". I had no specific topics at the time, but then the theme came from my older son asking me questions about our day. He would ask me: "Two boys on a sailboat?" when I was strapping him and his brother to their carseat. I knew that he knew that it was a chair, but he was inviting me to go beyond that thought. "Si, hay dos niños en un velero" I'd respond back in Spanish, trying to keep our language alive.
So that's the origin story...Two Boys on a Sailboat (Dos Ninos en un Velero) is about the adventures of two brothers and how they go through the day using their imagination. The normal day to day activities for the mom taking care of the kids, become magical as she is invited to join the wonderful world of her sons.
